Band Wars: The Woodwinds Strike Back
by Anath Tsurugi
Summary: The sequel to the first Band Wars. The continuing adventures of Chris Skywalker, Keoni Solo, and Amanda Organa. Contains band sabers, Drill, Trombone Knights, and other random band hilarity. HHS students will recognize.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N) Hello all my lovely little bandies. For those of you who read the first one this is the sequel. Duh! I wasn't planning on posting it but my friends asked me to, so here it is. Enjoy.

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_Band Wars_

_The Woodwinds Strike Back_

_It is a dark time for the Brass. Even though the Death Flute has been destroyed Woodwind forces have driven the Brass from their secret storage room and pursued them across the planet._

_Evading the dreaded Woodwind cloud fleet, a group of freedom fighters led by Chris Skywalker have established a new storage room on the remote southern continent of Antarctica._

_The evil Drum Major Darth Fred, obsessed with the idea of finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote piccolos across the far reaches of the planet._

XxX

A small cloud of snow exploded up from the ground as the small projectile crashed into the icy surface of the continent. Had it not been for the powder a passerby would not have noticed the small piccolo as it rose up from the snow through the power of its tiny engine.

A small probe came out of the end of the piccolo and began to scan the area. There were one, maybe two life forms within the immediate vicinity of its range. The continent of Antarctica was extremely vast and even more extremely cold. The piccolo's computerized brain told it that it wouldn't be long before it ceased to function. The search had to be performed and fast.

The piccolo emitted several high-pitched notes and slowly began to drift across the icy plain, searching for some sign, any sign, of Brass life.

But, unbeknownst to the mechanized Woodwind instrument, it had been spotted. Or at least, the cloud of powdery snow it had left had been spotted. Spotted by a young Brass warrior by the name of Chris Skywalker. The youth was out scouting for any possible threat to the new storage room. You never knew when some pesky Woodwind might show up. Fortunately Chris had found no sign of life. The only thing he'd seen was that small cloud of snow. Chris pulled out his walkie talkie and opened up communications with his search partner, Keoni Solo.

"Penguin3 to Penguin7." Chris tried to hail the older boy. "Keoni, old buddy, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, kid. What's up?" Keoni's voice asked.

"Well I've finished my circle. I don't pick up any life readings." Chris reported.

"There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a practice room." Keoni joked. "The sensors are placed. I'm going back."

Chris looked back in the direction of the newly constructed shelter. He saw a small figure surfing towards it on a small reed scooter. Chris laughed to himself, assuming it was Keoni.

"All right. I'll see you shortly. There's a meteorite that hit the ground near here. I want to go check it out. It won't take long."

With that Chris cut the connection and stowed the walkie talkie. Just when he was about to kick his reed scooter into gear he heard something behind him. A breath, a whisper, no more than a thought even. But it was enough to alert him.

Chris spun his vehicle around only to find himself face to face with a snarling polar bear!

Before he even had a chance to react the giant bear reached up a shaggy, snow white paw and knocked him off of the reed. Chris was knocked unconscious.

The polar bear grabbed hold of one of Chris' arms in its huge maw and began to drag the limp body away, leaving a small trail of blood behind it.

XxX

Relief coursed through Keoni's body as he piloted his reed scooter through the main shield garage door of the Brass base. It was getting late and he was starting to get really cold.

Keoni quickly parked his scooter and hurried over to his case, the_ Millennium Trumpet_. His first mate, Bruchacca, was up top making repairs. After a few months of service to the brass rebellion, Keoni and Bruchacca were planning to leave.

"Bruce. Bruce!" Keoni called up tohis blonde copilot.

"How's it comin', Bruce?" Keoni asked.

Bruce looked down at him and started growling angrily. He lay down the tool he'd been working with and threw his arms in the air, shouting curses and half human grunts. The repairs were obviously not going well.

"All right! Don't loose your temper." Keoni said, trying to cajole his companion. "I'll come right back and give you a hand."

Having said this, Keoni made his way to the control center in the storage room. He still had a report to make.

When he entered the storage room Keoni strode purposefully past all of the Brass technicians and students. He went straight to Section Leader Nick. Princess Amanda stood next to him, decked in pure white snow gear. As she looked up at him, Keoni felt a slight blush pass over his dark face. She was the reason he had stayed with the Brass. And though he would never admit under the most severe torture, that he felt…

No! No. He couldn't even say it to himself. There was nothing. The warmth quickly left his face and Amanda instantly turned away from him, her expression unreadable.

"Solo." Nick addressed him.

"No sign of life out there, Section Leader. The sensors are in place. You'll know if anything comes around." Keoni reported.

"Has Commander Skywalker reported in yet?" Nick asked him.

"No. He's checking out a meteorite that hit near here."

"With all the meteor activity down here it's going to be difficult to spot approaching cases."

"Section Leader, I gotta leave. I can't stay anymore." Keoni said solemnly.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Nick said, finally looking up from the computer screen he was hunched over.

"Well, there's a price on my head. If I don't pay off Kim the Bass I'm a dead man." Keoni said casually.

"A death mark's not an easy thing to live with. You're a good fighter, Solo. I'd hate to loose you."Nick said as he shook Keoni's hand.

"Thank you, Section Leader." Keoni replied as he turned to face Amanda for a final good-bye. An uncomfortable silence fell between the trumpet captain and the princess.

"Well your Highness, guess this is it."

"That's right." Amanda said, trying to keep her face free of emotion.

"Well don't get all mushy on me. So long princess!" Keoni said irritably before turning and marching angrily out of the storage room.

Amanda immediately leapt up and ran after him.

"Keoni!" she shouted to him once she had caught up with him.

"Yes, your worshipfulness?"

"I thought you had decided to stay."

"The pit crew we ran into back in the Middle East changed my mind." Keoni explained gruffly as he turned to walk away.

"Keoni, we need you." Amanda pleaded, reaching her hand out to stop him from leaving.

"We?" Keoni asked, turning back to her.

"Yes."

"Well what about you?"

"I need you? I don't know what you're talking about." Amanda said, barely managing to hide the surprise in her voice.

"Probably do." Keoni said as he walked away from her yet again.

"And what precisely am I supposed to know?" Amanda asked, running after him.

"Come on! You want me to stay because of the way you feel about me!"

"Yes. You're a great help to us. You're a natural leader."

"No!" Keoni said, whirling around and staring directly into her eyes. "That's not it."

Amanda backed away, finally realizing what it was that Keoni wanted her to say.

"Come on." Keoni prodded her.

Amanda stood there for a moment, shocked. But she managed to get control of herself in enough time to snap back.

"You're imagining things!"

"Am I? Then why are you following me? Afraid I was gonna leave without giving you a good-bye kiss!"

"I'd just as soon kiss Bruchacca!"

"I can arrange that!" Keoni shot back angrily as he stomped off. "You could USE a good kiss!"

XxX

"Well don't blame me. I didn't ask you to turn on the thermal heaters. I merely commented that it was freezing in the Princess' chamber." A-10dr said huffily to his small companion Tim2-Sax2, both of them students.

Tim2, who spoke through his tenor saxophone, beeped a quick answer.

"But it's _supposed_ to be freezing! How we're going to dry out all of their clothes, I really don't know."

Tim2 whistled a smart remark.

"Oh, switch off." A-10 said in annoyance as he walked over to the_ Millennium Trumpet_ where Keoni was raging about one thing or another.

"WHY DID YOU TAKE THIS APART NOW! I'M TRYING TO GET US OUT OF HERE AND YOU PULL BOTH OF THESE!"

"Excuse me, sir." A-10 said timidly, trying to attract Keoni's attention.

"Put 'em back together right now!" Keoni ordered Bruchacca as he turned to face A-10.

"Might I have a word with you please?"

"What do you want?"

"It's Princess Amanda, sir. She's been trying to get you on the walkie talkie."

"I turned it off. I don't wanna talk to her."

"Princess Amanda is wondering about Master Chris. He hasn't come back yet. She doesn't know where he is." A-10 explained.

"I don't know where he is."

"Nobody knows where he is."

"What do you mean nobody knows? Deck officer! DECK OFFICER!" Keoni called for one of the warriors on duty.

"Do you know where Commander Skywalker is?"

"I haven't seen him." the warrior answered. "It's possible he came in through the south entrance."

"It's possible? Why don't you go find out. It's getting dark out."

"Yes, sir."

"Excuse me, sir. But might I enquire as to what's going on?" A-10 asked Keoni once the warrior had left.

"I don't know." Keoni said absently as he hurried away from the driveling student.

"Impossible man. Come on, Tim2. Lets find Princess Amanda. Between ourselves, I think Master Chris is in considerable danger."

XxX

"Sir, Commander Skywalker hasn't come in through the south entrance." the deck officer reported to Keoni when he had reached the south entrance. "He might have forgotten to check in."

"Not likely. Are the cases ready yet?"

"Uh…not yet. We're having some trouble adapting them to the cold."

"Then I'll have to go out on reed scooter." Keoni said to himself as he pulled his arctic gear back on.

"Sir, the temperature's dropping too rapidly!"

"That's right, and my friend's out in it." Keoni said, boarding a reed scooter and revving up the engines.

"Your reed will crack before you reach the first marker." one of the warriors warned him.

"Then I'll see you in hell." Keoni retorted as he spurred the craft out the open bay door.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing that Chris noticed when he came to was how dizzy he was. That came with the realization that he was hanging upside down. When he turned his glance upward he realized that his feet were frozen into the ceiling of his prison. The next thing he noticed was the prison itself. He was in a giant ice cave……and the floor was littered with the skeletons of meals past!

Chris tried to keep calm and think of a way out of his predicament, but it was difficult to do, as he suddenly heard the growls of his captor coming from not too far away. He tried to yank his feet out of their icy cases but that didn't work. Just then, he noticed something half-buried in the snow just out of his reach. It was his father's band saber. A piccolo with a trombone mouthpiece attached to it that packed quite a punch when used in battle.

Chris tried to reach the saber but to no avail. It was just too far. There was only one other option. Chris had used the Drill very few times before and had little control over the mystic energy pattern. But now it might be the only thing that could save his life. So Chris let his conscious mind slip away. He did not reach for the energy of the Drill. He waited for it to come to him, just as his dead mentor, Jason Kenobi, had taught him. He blocked out the growls of the hungry polar bear. Suddenly he felt the pulsing energy of the Drill flowing through his body. He held a picture of the band saber in his head and suddenly the weapon was in his hand. He snapped out of the trance state just in time to see the polar bear rushing at him!

Chris quickly activated the band saber, slashing wildly with the blue blade at the ice that imprisoned his feet. Ignoring the pain in his body when he crashed to the ground, Chris leapt up and slashed at the advancing beast, somehow managing to score a hit.

Chris was up and out of the cave entrance before the bear's head even hit the ground.

XxX

"Sir, all patrols are in. Still no-" a warrior started to report to Section Leader Nick. But the Section Leader silenced him with a quick glance at Princess Amanda, who stood beside him.

"Still no contact from Skywalker or Solo." the warrior whispered.

"Mistress Amanda." A-10 cut in as he approached the small group. "Tim2 says he's been quiteunable to pick up any signals. Although, he does admit that his own range is far too weak to abandon all hope."

"Your highness, there's nothing more we can do tonight. The shield doors must be closed." Nick told her.

Amanda lowered her head, but finally nodded her agreement.

"Close the doors." Nick commanded.

Bruchacca came to stand with Amanda, A-10, and Tim2 as the giant hanger doors slid shut. When they were finally closed Bruchacca let out an inhuman wail.

"Tim2 says that the chances of survival are 725...to 1."

Amanda didn't speak. She turned her head away so that no one would see the small tear that leaked out of the corner of her eye.

"Actually…Tim2 has been known to make mistakes." A-10 said, trying to console her.

"From time to time."

XxX

Chris stumbled blindly through the driving sheets of snow that assailed his frozen body. Night had fallen and the temperature only continued to drop. Chris now realized how foolish he'd been to leave the polar bear's cave. He had no idea where he was or where he was going. If he kept wandering like this, it wouldn't be long before he…

The poor boy finally collapsed upon the frozen ground, unable to take another step. As he lay there, semi-conscious, hazy thoughts and images drifted through his head. Home. Back in the Littleton System. His Aunt and Uncle. Jason.

Yes, Chris would die here. Even in his narcosis-like state, he knew that much. Already the hallucinations were taking over his numb mind. Chris could have sworn that he saw Jason Kenobi standing before him.

"Chris." the mirage called out to the dying youth. "Chris!"

"Jason?" Chris said stupidly.

"You will go to the Heritage System." the spirit commanded.

"Heritage System?" Chris asked, still not comprehending that the spirit before him was very real.

"There you will learn from Keena. The Band Master who instructed me."

"Jason!" Chris tried to cry out as the apparition vanished into the shrieking winds.

But it wasn't Jason who answered. It was Keoni that appeared to Chris out of the driving snow, hurtling towards him on a reed scooter.

When Keoni saw Chris' limp body he leapt from his reed and landed next to his fallen friend.

"Chris!" he shouted, trying to rouse the younger boy. But nothing worked.

"Don't do this, Chris. Come on! Give me a sign here."

"Jason. Jason." Chris mumbled.

Keoni breathed a quick sigh of relief, grateful to know that Chris was still alive. But relief quickly turned to despair when Keoni looked up at his reed scooter. The thing had finally cracked, literally. The primitive machine could no longer stand the cold and had fractured under stress. A foul-smelling goop was already dripping from the guts of the reed.

"Hang on, kid." Keoni coached Chris as he reached over to the reed and pulled the crack open wider.

"Heritage System……Heritage." Chris continued to rave drunkenly in his dream-like state.

"This may smell bad, kid," Keoni said as he shoveled fistfuls of the reed goop onto Chris' body. "But it'll keep you warm 'til I can get the shelter built."

"Keena." Chris driveled on.

Keoni backed away from the reed and his charge for a quick breath of air. He felt ready to throw up. The smell of the reed's innards was so nauseating.

"And I thought they smelled bad on the outside." Keoni griped. He knew that the task of saving them both would last long into the night.

XxX

"Penguin base. I've got something. Not much, but it could be a life form." Jesse reported back to the storage room. The moment the sun had risen a small contingent of warriors was sent out to search for Chris and Keoni. The speeder cases were finally ready for travel in the bitter cold air. That made the search that much more efficient.

"Commander Skywalker. Do you copy? This is Penguin2. Captain Solo?" Jesse waited a few tense moments before trying to hail them again. The silence was unnerving.

"Commander Skywalker. Do you copy?" Jesse asked, her voice growing more urgent by the minute. "This is Penguin2."

Suddenly the radio on the console of Jesse's case crackled to life.

"Good morning. Nice of you guys to drop by." Keoni's voice said sarcastically.

Jesse's face split into a grin of relief as she reported back to the base.

"Penguin Base. This is Penguin2. I found them. Repeat. I found them."

XxX

"Master Chris, sir. It's so good to see you fully functional again." A-10 said happily to Chris as he entered the room. It had been two days since incident and both Keoni and Chris had made full recoveries from their night out in the blizzard. The only exceptions were a few scars on Chris' face from the polar bear.

Tim2 came in right behind A-10 and whistled excitedly.

"Tim2 expresses his relief also." A-10 translated.

"How you feelin' kid?" Keoni asked as he and Bruchacca also came into Chris' room. "You don't look so bad to me. In fact, you look strong enough to pull ears off an elephant."

"Thanks to you." Chris said gratefully.

"That's two you owe me, junior." Keoni said as he turned to leave. But what he saw standing in the doorway stopped him dead in his tracks. Amanda had come to see Chris as well.

"Well, Your Highness, looks like you managed to keep me around a little longer." Keoni commented, referring to the ban on letting cases leave base.

"I had nothing to do with it. Section Leader Nick thinks it's dangerous for any cases to leave the system until we've activated the energy field." Amanda said triumphantly.

"That's a good story. I think you just can't bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight." Keoni said sardonically as he leaned casually against the wall.

"I don't know where you get your delusions, trumpet brain." Amanda said, the warning in her voice plain to be heard.

As he listened to all of this, Bruchacca began to snicker and laugh. Keoni and Amanda? It was just too funny.

"Laugh it up, fuzz ball." Keoni said to Bruce as he went to stand beside Amanda. "But you didn't see us alone in the south passage. She expressed her true feelings for me."

Amanda's mouth fell open in shock. This guy had some nerve!

"Why…Why you…stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking……reed killer!"

Keoni turned to look at Amanda, anger etched into every facet of his face.

"Who is scruffy looking!" he shot back at her. "I must have hit pretty close to the mark to get her all riled up like that, huh kid?" Keoni said to Chris as he walked back over to him.

Amanda nodded to herself, finally seeing a way to get back at Keoni. She crossed the room in two swift strides and came to face Keoni.

"Well I guess you don't know everything about women yet."

As she said this Amanda leaned down and kissed Chris full on the mouth. When she pulled away she smirked at Keoni once before leaving. Keoni just stood there, glaring.

"Take it easy." he said gruffly to Chris before leaving the room with Bruchacca right behind him.

XxX

"Princess, we have a visitor." Section Leader Nick reported to Amanda as she entered the storage room. "We've picked up something outside the base's zone twelve moving east."

"It's metal." one of the students said from his place at the computer.

"Then it couldn't be one of those creatures." Amanda said.

"It could be a case. One of ours." Keoni reasoned.

"No, wait. There's something very weak coming through." the student reported. He turned up the volume on his head set and allowed the others to listen in on the signal that was coming in over the line. After a few tense moments A-10 looked up from the computer.

"Sir," he said to Nick. "I am fluent in over six million forms of communication. This signal is not used by the Brass. It could be a Woodwind code."

"It isn't friendly, whatever it is. Come on, Bruce. Lets go have a look."

Less than ten minutes later, Keoni and Bruce were piloting a case out to the coordinates of the unidentified object. They disembarked a good distance away from it and then snuck up on it. Bruchacca took cover behind a snow drift directly across from where Keoni was hidden.

Suddenly Bruchacca stuck his head up in view of the machine and growled loudly. This drew its attention long enough for Keoni to take a shot with his trumpet. The probe was destroyed immediately.

"I'm afraid there's not much left." Keoni reported back to the storage room via his walkie talkie.

"What was it?" Amanda asked him.

"An instrument of some kind. I didn't hit it that hard. It must have had a self-destruct."

"A Woodwind probe piccolo." Amanda sighed heavily.

"It's a good bet the Empire knows we're here." Keoni said.

Amanda and Nick shared a silent, worried glance.

"We'd better start the evacuations." Nick said gravely.


	3. Chapter 3

Darth Fred stood on the bridge of the mother cloud destroyer, gazing down at the Earth below. He had been waiting for word of the movements of the Brass army for weeks now. More specifically, word of Chris Skywalker. The young warrior intrigued the dark Drum Major to no end. The Drill was strong with him and he had great potential.

The others on the bridge went calmly about their work. At least that was what it looked like on the surface. Most of them kept throwing anxious glances at Fred. His temper was legendary and he'd been a bit on edge lately, waiting for news from the Piccolo probes that were searching the planet.

But just then, Fred's attention was caught by the entrance of Admiral Erin. She strode onto the bridge with a group of officers flanking her. But her grand entrance was cut short by Section Leader Emily.

"Admiral," Section Leader Emily hailed Erin.

"Yes, Section Leader?" Erin acknowledged Emily as she stepped over to her work station.

"I think we've got something," Emily began. She quickly pulled up an image on the main computer screen.

"The report is only a fragment…from a Piccolo in the Antarctic System. But it's the best lead we've had."

"We have thousands of Piccolos searching the planet. I want _proof_, not leads!" Erin said irately.

"The visuals indicate life readings."

"It could be anything. If we followed up every lead-"

"But Admiral," Emily interrupted her. "The Antarctic System is supposed to be devoid of human life forms."

Suddenly, Erin heard a voice from behind her.

"You found something?"

Erin turned slowly, almost fearfully, to face the Drum Major.

"Yes, my Lord."

Fred swept past her to have a look at the Piccolo report.

"That's it," he said decisively. "The Brass are there."

"My lord," Erin said hesitantly. "There are so many uncharted settlements. It could be smugglers. It could be-"

"That is the system. And I'm sure Skywalker is with them. Set your course for the Antarctic System!" Fred ordered. "Section Leader Emily, prepare your Flutes."

XxX

"That's it!" Keoni shouted down to Bruchacca from his place atop the _Millennium Trumpet_. If they were lucky, this last adjustment would get the case working again. "Try it!"

With that, Bruchacca activated the case's thrusters. Smoke immediately began to billow out of the opening and sparks flew everywhere.

"Turn it off!" Keoni coughed through the smoke. "TURN IT OFF!"

Bruchacca did as he was told and scrambled out of the cockpit to give Keoni a hand. But as he was hurrying out of the case he ran into Chris.

"Hey, Bruce," Chris said, giving him a punch on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

And just as Chris was turning to look for Keoni two arms came from behind him and wrapped him in a large bear hug.

"Okay, okay," Chris said as he struggled free of Bruchacca's grasp.

"Hey kid," Keoni called from on top of the case. He poked his head over the side to look down at Chris.

"You all right?"

"Yeah," Chris nodded. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two. Chris tried to find something to say but eventually gave it up. As he turned to leave Keoni threw one last good bye at him.

"Be careful."

Chris nodded one last time before running to join his fellow warriors.

XxX

"Section Leader," one of the technicians called out to Nick. "There's a fleet of cloud destroyers coming out of metronome space in sector four."

"Reroute all power to the energy shields. We've got to hold them till all transports are away," Nick commanded. Then he turned to one of his co-section leaders.

"Prepare for a ground assault."

XxX

Emily shivered as she entered Darth Fred's private chambers. No one really knew what went on in here, but she was willing to bet that it wasn't anything good.

Emily silently approached the dark Drum Major. He was seated in a large bean bag chair facing a viewing screen. The screen held an image of the small base positioned in the middle of an ice field. The Brass Army's secret Storage Room.

"What is it, Section Leader?" Fred asked without turning around. This somewhat unnerved Emily that he had known who she was, but she got over it quickly and made her report.

"My Lord, the fleet has moved out of met speed. Clarinet scan has detected an energy field protecting an area in sector four of the Antarctic System. The field is strong enough to deflect any bombardment."

"The Brass are alerted to our presence," Fred said as he turned to face her. "Admiral Erin came out of met speed too close to the system."

"Uh, she felt surprise was wiser-" Emily started.

"She is as clumsy as she is stupid. Section Leader, prepare your flutes for a surface attack."

"Yes, my Lord," Emily said just before racing out of the office. Poor Erin had displeased Lord Fred. She knew what was coming next.

Meanwhile, Fred turned back to the viewing screen and turned the image to the bridge of the case. He opened up a direct link between him and Erin.

"Lord Fred," Erin addressed him. "The fleet has moved out of met speed and we're preparing to-"

Erin broke off in mid sentence. She reached for her throat and made small gagging noises.

"You have failed me for the last time, Erin." Fred said coldly as she continued to choke. Emily had just arrived back on the bridge, knowing what to expect, but still shocked to see Erin on the floor, struggling to breathe.

"Section Leader Emily"

Emily turned fearfully to the viewing screen.

"Yes, Lord Fred?"

"Make ready to land the Flutes beyond the energy field and deploy the fleet so that nothing gets out of the system. You are in command now, Admiral Emily."

Emily hesitated a moment before answering. The fight was finally over and Erin lay on the deck, dead.

"Thank you, Lord Fred."

XxX

"All warrior carriers will assemble on the north entrance. The heavy transport cases will leave as soon as they're loaded. Only two fighter escorts per case. The energy shield can only be open for a short time, so you'll have to stay very close to your transports," Amanda explained to the assemblage of Brass warriors gathered around her.

"Two fighter cases against a cloud destroyer?" one of the Trumpets asked skeptically.

"The valve cannon will fire several shots to make sure that any enemy cases will be out of your flight path. When you've gotten past the energy shield proceed directly to the rendezvous point. Understood?"

All of the warriors gave a cheer to show that it was clear.

"Good luck," Amanda said solemnly.

"Ok, everybody to your stations. Lets go!"

XxX

"The primary target will be the power generators," Nick said gravely from his place behind the gunners' station. "Prepare to open shields!"

A tense silence fell over the control room as the first transport and its fighter guardians sailed out of the protection of the shield and into enemy sighting.

"Stand by valve control," Amanda said to the gunner. She waited a few moments before giving the order.

"Fire."

With that a blast of concentrated energy was rocketed from the valve cannon and straight towards the Woodwind cloud fleet. In the blink of an eye, a cloud destroyer went up in smoke. The three cases got clear of enemy fire.

"The first transport is away," a computerized voice sounded throughout the base. A cheer went up from the army as they readied their case fighters for battle.

Chris was also in the hangar. He was ready to go into battle the instant his group was called out to fight. He quickly climbed into the small fighter case just as his gunner, Brent, showed up.

"Feeling alright, sir?" Brent asked as he climbed into the gunners' cockpit.

"Just like new, Brent. How bout you?"

"Right now I feel like I could take on the whole Empire myself," Brent said as he climbed into the gunner's seat and sealed the fighter case shut.

"I know what you mean," Chris said to himself as he began the preparations for take off.

Meanwhile, out on the field, the Brass Army had set up lines of defense and Section Leader Conner was at the front, keeping watch for enemy craft. And then, through the early morning fog, he spotted a giant shape moving forward. There was no mistaking that shape.

"Penguin Station57, we have spotted Woodwind Rollers. Woodwind Rollers on the north ridge!"

Once the call had been sounded, the case fighter pilots took their fighters out of the hangar and into the fray. Four giant scaffold platforms were steadily rolling towards the base. These behemoth crafts had earned the name Woodwind Rollers. Flute warriors were positioned atop the rollers, bundled in arctic gear with flutes hot and ready for combat. A flute was a difficult weapon to maintain but it was one of the more effective Woodwind instruments. When played just right, the blasts emitted from a flute could cause a world of hurt. And now the Flutes were taking out Brass left and right.

"Penguin Station57, we're on our way," Chris relayed the message to Section Leader Conner.

"Alright guys, keep it tight now," Chris said through his radio as he led the fighters into battle.

"Chris, I have no approach back there. I'm not set!" Brent said worriedly as the fighters swept down upon the rollers.

"Steady Brent. Attack pattern Delta. Go now! I'm coming in!"

Chris and two other pilots took their fighters in close to the rollers to give their gunners good shots at them. Brent leaned a little ways out of the case and aimed his trumpet at the platform. But his shot was deflected by a blast from a Flute.

Chris weaved the fighter in all sorts of directions to avoid being hit.

"That framework's too strong for trumpets. Penguin group, use your trombones! Go for the wheels! It might be our only chance of stopping them," Chris said as he flew in for another shot. "Stand by, Brent."

"Chris, we've got a malfunction in fire control," Brent said once he had switched instruments. "I'll have to cut into the auxiliary."

"Just hang on! Hang on, Brent! Get ready to fire that trombone!"

Brent struggled to plug the trombone into the backup power source as Chris flew closer to the rollers. But just then, one of the Flutes got in a shot at Chris's fighter, straight into the gunner pit.

Chris heard Brent's cry and swung the fighter wide just in time to avoid another round of Flute fire. He tried to turn his head to see what had happened.

"Brent?"

No answer.

"BRENT!"

Still no answer. There was only one explanation. Chris sighed in sorrow.

"Penguin2?"

"Copy, Penguin Leader," Jessie's voice answered over the radio.

"Jessie, I've lost my gunner. You'll have to take this shot. I'll cover for you. Set your trombone and follow me on the next pass."

Without question, Jessie fell in behind Chris and they headed back towards the rollers.

"Coming around, Penguin Leader," Jessie said as her gunner leaned out of their case.

"Steady, Penguin2."

"Activate trombone," Jessie ordered.

Her gunner warmed up her mouth piece for a more efficient shot. As her fighter approached the roller Chris flew around in circles just above it, drawing the fire of the Flutes.

"One more pass, Chris," Jessie whispered.

"Warmed up. Let her go!" the gunner, Courtney, shouted.

"Fire trombone!"

Then, Courtney raised the instrument to her lips and fired two quick bursts of energy straight at the forward two wheels of the roller. The twin blasts made contact and the wheels were smashed. The roller fell forward and the momentum from the back wheels caused it to crash to the ground. The Flutes tried to escape, but Brass warriors raced forward with heavy ground artillery. The scaffold was destroyed in moments.

"Woo! That got 'em!" Jessie cheered.

"I see it, Jessie. Good work!"

XxX

"I don't think we can protect two transports at a time," Nick said to Amanda as the roof over their heads began to shake. The rollers were getting closer.

"It's risky, but we can't hold out much longer. We have no choice."

Nick closed his eyes in exasperation. He knew she was right.

"Launch patrol."

"And evacuate remaining ground staff," Amanda added.

XxX

"NO! No! This one goes there, and _that_ one goes over there," Keoni instructed Bruchacca on the placement of a few loose wires.

Keoni was growing more and more anxious by the minute. The hangar was collapsing around them already under the strain of enemy fire and the _Millennium Trumpet_ still wasn't ready for flight. The few teams of ground staff that still remained were all in the hangar prepping the X-case fighters of the Penguin squadron for a quick getaway. Tim2 was already being plugged in to Chris' case.

"Tim2, you take good care of Master Chris now, understand?" A-10 asked from where he stood just below the case.

Tim2 gave an encouraging beep as he was wrapped in his element protective gear.

"Do take good care of yourself," A-10 added.

XxX

"Penguin2, are you all right?" Chris asked Jessie as he swerved around the second roller in order to avoid being hit.

"Yeah. I'm with you, Penguin Leader," Jessie responded.

"Set your trombone again. I'll cover for you."

"Coming around."

"Watch that cross fire you guys," Chris warned as the squadron swept down for another attack on the second roller.

"Set for position three," Jessie ordered Courtney.

"Stay tight and low," Chris ordered as he swerved again to draw the flute fire away from Jessie. But just as he made an upward swoop, one of the flutes got in a shot. It wasn't a direct hit on the fighter but it shorted out the power grid. The fighter took a nose dive for the ground.

"Jessie!" Chris tried to radio to her as the craft plummeted to Earth. "I've been hit!"

Chris flung his hands up to protect his face as the fighter crashed to the ground. The second the initial shock had passed he undid his safety restraints and opened the lid of the fighter. He pulled a few guns out of the cockpit and checked to see if he still had his band saber on him. But it was then that he noticed another Woodwind Roller was heading straight for his downed fighter.

Chris immediately turned back and tried to pull Brent's body from the gunner seat. But he was wedged into the pit too tightly. Chris turned around to find that the roller was almost right on top of them! There wasn't any time left.

Chris leapt from the fighter and rolled away just in time to avoid being crushed by the giant wheels of the roller.

XxX

Keoni Solo burst into the command center. The base was in ruins. The battle above had shaken machinery loose and bits of broken computer and machines were strewn about the floor. Chunks of ice and snow from the collapsing ceiling were piled everywhere. The only living beings remaining in the command center were Amanda, Nick, and A-10. Except for the rumbles from the fighting above, the wrecked base was eerily silent.

"Are you all right?"

"Why are you still here?" Amanda asked furiously.

"I heard the command center had been hit." Keoni sounded worried.

"You've got your clearance to leave!"

"All right, I'll leave. But first I'm gonna get you to your ship."

"Your highness, we must take this last transport. It's our only hope," A-10 said nervously.

Not ready to give up, Amanda turned away from Keoni and back to Section Leader Nick.

"Send all warriors in sector twelve to the south slopes to protect the fighters!"

Just then, an explosion from above rocked the base yet again. More ice came careening down into the cavern. A-10 let out a shriek of terror. Amanda jumped aside to avoid the falling ice and ended up slamming right into Keoni.

"Woodwind troops have entered the base," a mechanical voice calmly reported over the comm unit. "Woodwind troops have entered-"

The voice was suddenly cut off and static filled the air.

"Come on. Lets go," Keoni said seriously.

Amanda stared at him for a few moments, debating whether or not she should listen to the trumpet captain. But she finally turned back to Nick.

"Give the evacuation code signal."

With that Keoni took her hand and proceeded to lead her out of the command center. A-10 followed close behind.

"And get to your transport!"

XxX

"Begin retreat!"

"Fall back!"

The order to retreat had been given. Brass warriors were fleeing from the remaining two rollers. The lead roller lurched forward, its flutes blazing to scatter the retreating Brass warriors.

As more flute fire came from the oncoming rollers, Brass bodies and parts of Brass bodies were flung through the air. Many of the warriors who had managed to avoid the obliterating flute beams were crushed into unrecognizable pulp beneath the rollers' grinding wheels. The air was charged with the stink of blood and burning flesh, and thundering with the explosive noises of battle. The Brass defenses had fallen. And not too far from the massacre, Woodwind sax troopers had begun to move into the deserted base.

With them strode their leader, the dark-robed figure who surveyed the shambles that had been the Antarctic Brass base. Darth Fred's black image stood out starkly against the white walls, ceiling, and floor. As he moved through the white catacombs, he regally stepped aside to avoid a falling section of the ice ceiling. Then he continued on his way with such quick strides that his troops had to hurry to keep up.

XxX

Keoni and Amanda raced through the corridors of the base with A-10 following clumsily behind. Keoni knew that if they didn't reach the transport case soon it would have to leave without Amanda and the sax troopers might find them before he could get her to his own case.

Suddenly another blast shook the base and an avalanche of snow and ice came cascading down into the tunnel. Keoni spun around and grabbed Amanda, pulling her to the ground and shielding her body with his own.

When the torrent of ice had ceased Keoni slowly stood up and surveyed the situation. The tunnel was completely blocked. He quickly pulled his radio unit from the pouch in his belt.

"Transport?" he radioed to the last case. "This is Solo. Better take off. I can't get to you. I'll get her out on the _Trumpet._"

Seeming to be completely un-phased by the near death experience, Keoni pulled Amanda up from the ground and led her in the opposite direction.

"Wait! Wait for me! Stop!" A-10 shouted as the two hurried past him. The hangar where the _Millennium Trumpet _was docked wasn't too far away.

When they reached the hangar, Keoni saw Bruchacca standing next to the gang way of the case, waving his arms erratically and spouting a stream of unintelligible English.

"Hurry up, goldenrod!" Keoni shouted to A-10 as the student staggered into the hangar behind them. "Or you're gonna be a permanent resident!"

The second the three were safely onboard, Bruchacca closed the gangway and ran to help Keoni get the case running.

"How's this!" Keoni asked Bruchacca as he punched in a sequence of numbers to the system computer. But the code only served to send a plume of smoke wafting into the cabin.

"Would it help if I got out and pushed?" Amanda asked sarcastically.

Keoni turned to the princess and gave her a death glare.

"It might."

Instead of continuing the battle with Amanda, Keoni raced into the cockpit of the case and revved up the engines. It didn't matter if the case wasn't completely ready. There wasn't any time left. He could already see sax troopers setting up ground artillery just outside the forward windows.

The engines died down for a moment and Keoni slammed his fist down on the control panel. The case immediately fired back up again. Bruchacca came running into the cockpit to help Keoni get the case off the ground. Amanda was hot on his heels.

"This bucket of bolts is never gonna get us past that blockade!" Amanda shouted.

"This baby's still got a few surprises left in her, sweetheart," Keoni answered confidently.

Keoni and Bruchacca both sat down in the pilot's seats. As Keoni did a lightening check of the systems Bruchacca began firing at the troopers in front of the case. Keoni knew that the armor of the _Trumpet_ wouldn't be affected by their feeble hand instruments but he also knew that they didn't stand a chance against the giant bassoon-shaped weapon the troopers were setting up. When Bruchacca noticed another group of troopers rushing into the hangar he let loose a voly of deadly trumpet fire from the case's onboard guns, scattering the armored bodies of the sax troopers.

"Switch over!" Keoni ordered. "And hope we don't have a burn out."

Bruchacca turned away from the weapons console and gave his full attention to the controls.

"Punch it!" Keoni roared.

The engines immediately flared back to life and the _Millennium Trumpet _shot out of the hangar, just missing being buried beneath another avalanche of collapsing ceiling.

Keoni smiled smugly and turned to look at Amanda in the navigator's seat next to him. She just scowled at him.

"You know, someday you're going to be wrong and I just hope I'm there to see it."

XxX

Chris was lucky enough to escape the storming of the base alive. Now as he climbed the icy slope to the place where the X-case fighters were hidden, he looked up just in time to see the _Millennium Trumpet _rocket out of the collapsing hangar and shoot off into the distance. So his friends had gotten away safely.

Chris finished his climb and found the remaining Brass warriors readying their fighters for take-off.

Chris ran to his own fighter and saw Tim2 sitting in the special mechanic pit. His tenor sax was hooked up to the engine systems and he was wrapped in element protective gear. It wasn't entirely safe for mechanic students to ride on the exterior of the cases but they were needed in order to maintain engines and other systems for whatever reason.

"Tim2!" Chris called to the little student. "Get her ready for take-off."

"Good luck, Chris!" Jessie shouted to her commander as they both climbed into their fighters. "See you at the rendezvous!"

Soon Chris' fighter was soaring through the sky. Once he had cleared the giant land mass of Antarctica and was safely over the ocean, Chris began to make a few changes in the flight plan. Tim2 beeped in alarm when he noticed that the autopilot had been switched off.

"There's nothing wrong, Tim2. Just setting a new course," Chris reassured him.

Tim2 beeped a stream of questions.

"We're not going to regroup with the others. We're going to theHeritage System."

More whistled questions.

"Yes, Tim2," Chris sighed in slight annoyance at the little student's worries. He was still beeping protests.

"That's all right. Id like to keep it on manual control for a little while."


	4. Chapter 4

Keoni Solo pushed the _Millennium Trumpet _to its limits. The Woodwind fleet was right on their tail. The second the case had been clear of Antarctica the chase had begun. Now Keoni was ducking and weaving, flipping and circling, anything to evade the fire of the enemy flute fighters chasing them. It was a beautiful display of piloting skill but none of the case's occupants really seemed to appreciate this. At the moment, Bruchacca was howling at something on the monitor.

"I saw 'em! I saw 'em!" Keoni shouted in response to Bruchacca's guttural wailing.

"Saw what!" Amanda asked.

"Cloud destroyers. Two of 'em comin' right at us."

Amanda glanced over at the monitor and finally saw the real peril of their situation. Two giant clarinet cases were coming right at them to add to the squad of flute fighters chasing them.

"Sir! Sir! Might I suggest-" A-10 started to say.

"Shut him up or shut him down!" Keoni shouted as he pulled off another impossible swoop.

Bruchacca quickly shoved A-10 into a chair and he immediately shut up.

"We can still outmaneuver 'em," Keoni said tensely as he continued his crazy piloting. "Check the deflector shield! I'm gonna make the jump to met speed!"

"But sir!" A-10 tried to protest.

"They're getting closer," Amanda said.

"Oh yeah? Watch this," Keoni said as he flipped another switch.

But instead of the reassuring pulse of the onboard met Keoni heard the engines rev down. The smugness immediately drained from Keoni's face.

"Watch what?" Amanda asked in exasperation.

"I think we're in trouble," Keoni said as he tried to start the metronome again.

"If I may say so, sir. I noticed earlier that the metronome drive motivator has been damaged. It's impossible to go to met speed!" A-10 reported from the chair Bruchacca had pinned him down in.

"We're in trouble!" Keoni said brusquely as he leapt up from the pilot's chair and made for the lower deck. Bruchacca was right behind him.

Keoni went straight into the engine room and searched through all of the interconnected cables of the case's underbelly, trying to find the problem. He climbed down into one of the wire pits that was still open for repairs. He immediately began shouting out to Bruchacca what he might need to fix the metronome.

"Horizontal boosters! Alluvial dampers! ARGH!"

Keoni quickly yanked his hand back from the burning hot wire he'd touched.

"That's not it! Bring me the hydro spanners!"

Bruchacca rushed over with a toolbox in hand. He set it down next to the pit and tossed the required tool down to his partner.

"Don't know how we're gonna get out of this one," Keoni muttered as he hacked into a bundle of cables.

Bruchacca ran off to find another toolbox just as another laser blast rocked the case. The first toolbox was knocked from its perch next to the pit. This wouldn't have been such a big deal were it not for the fact that the box full of tools landed directly on Keoni's head.

"OW! BRUCE!"

Just as Bruchacca came running back to give Keoni a hand the case was rocked again. But this impact was different.

"That wasn't a laser blast. Somethin' hit us," Keoni said worriedly as he climbed out of the pit.

"Keoni, get up here!" Amanda shouted.

Keoni and Bruce immediately ran back up on deck.

"Hail," Amanda reported as Keoni sat back down in the pilot's chair. The _Millennium Trumpet _had indeed flown straight into a hailstorm.

"Oh no," Keoni said sarcastically. "Bruce, set 2-7-1."

Amanda stared at Keoni in shock. She knew what his command meant and was stunned by so reckless a plan.

"What are you doing! You're not actually going _into _a hail storm!" she asked, hoping that she'd misunderstood his commands.

"Well they'd be crazy to follow us wouldn't they!" he shouted gleefully.

"You don't have to do this to impress me," Amanda scowled at Keoni as the case was pummeled hard by another large chunk of hail.

Keoni was enjoying himself immensely and chose to ignore her insinuations.

"Sir, the odds of successfully navigating a hail storm of this magnitude are approximately 3,720 to 1!" A-10 tried to reason with the trumpet captain.

"Never tell me the odds," Keoni said, focusing his full attention on the task at hand. There was a strange sort of hunger in his eyes as he dodged the giant chunks of falling hail.

The flute fighters were indeed crazy enough to follow them into a hailstorm. They undoubtedly were better off perishing in this violent storm than reporting failure to their dark master.

Two of the six flute fighters instantly collided with hail and were destroyed. The heat was on.

A-10 gave a shriek of terror as Keoni narrowly missed hitting several boulder-sized chunks of hail.

"You said you wanted to be around when I made a mistake. This could be it, sweetheart."

"I take it back!" Amanda said fearfully as another flash of light reached her eyes, signifying that another flute fighter had met its end.

"We're going to get pulverized if we stay out here much longer."

"Pulverized?" A-10 asked nervously. He had gone way beyond afraid. Right now he was somewhere between bed-wetting and a near death experience. Only now it looked like it would be a bit more than a _near _death experience.

"Can't argue with that," Keoni said casually.

"I'm gonna get in closer to one of the big ones," he added, just as casually.

"CLOSER!" Amanda and A-10 shouted at the same time.

Keoni flipped the craft to the side, evading the remaining flute squadron and managing to destroy another fighter. He circled back and allowed them to pass. Once he was sure they were gone, Keoni flew to a piece of hail that was roughly the size of the case and hugged the case to its underside. The hail plummeted towards the ocean, towing the case with it.

"This is suicide!" A-10 cried out.

"There," Keoni pointed straight ahead. "That looks pretty good."

"What looks pretty good?" Amanda asked.

Keoni flew the case out from under the hail chunk just before it crashed into the ocean and continued his flight. Amanda could see that he was heading for a giant iceberg that was drifting on the ocean's surface.

"Excuse me, but, where are we going?" A-10 asked, barely managing to keep his cool.

Keoni piloted the case all around the iceberg until he finally found what he was looking for. A gaping hole in the side of the berg. A cave. He quickly shot into the opening and flew down the darkened tunnel.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Amanda said nervously as she stared out the window into the darkness.

"Yeah, me too," Keoni added under his breath.

XxX

"That's it. Heritage," Chris said distastefully. The case was approaching a massive swamp. The evening air was full of fog and Chris was having trouble seeing much of anything. He thought he could make out a building of sorts but he wasn't sure.

Tim2 beeped nervously from his place outside the cockpit.

"No, I'm not gonna change my mind about this."

Having said so, Chris checked the scanners on the console.

"I'm not picking up any settlements or technology in the area. Massive life form readings though. There's something alive down there," Chris said apprehensively.

Tim2 beeped another question.

"Yes," Chris answered with a laugh. "I'm sure it's perfectly safe for tenor saxes."

Chris continued to chuckle as he descended into the fog of the Heritage System. He was getting closer to the ground when he realized that all of his scopes and scanners had suddenly shorted out. His guidance was gone and he was losing control of the fighter. Tim2 whistled a rapid stream of warnings.

"I know! I know!" Chris shouted back worriedly. "All my scopes are dead! I can't see a thing! Hang on! I'm gonna start the landing cycle."

Chris did so, but not in enough time. The fighter was hurtling towards the ground at break-neck speed. Chris' vision was blocked by the fog and oncoming branches smacking against the window. Before he knew it the case had crashed right in the middle of a swamp. Chris quickly undid his safety belt and activated the lid. Once it was open Chris stood up and looked around. Yep, it was definitely a swamp. He couldn't see much outside the immediate vicinity of the sinking fighter but there was something he could just barely make out in the distance. It looked something like a giant fork that was missing a few prongs. It looked like it might have been a football goal once. But then again, Chris wasn't one to judge. He'd never actually seen a football goal before, only heard about them.

Chris quickly climbed out of the case and was about to jump into the swamp to wade to shore when he heard several beeps coming from behind him. He turned around and saw that Tim2 had freed himself from his safety restraints and was ready to follow him.

"No, Tim2, you stay put. I'll have a look around."

Chris turned around and was fixing to jump into the water yet again when he heard a loud splash from behind him. He turned and saw that Tim2 was gone. A large ripple was bubbling up just beside the case.

"Tim2! TIM2!" Chris shouted frantically. "Where are you?"

Chris waited a few tense moments.

"TIM2!"

Chris was ready to dive in after him when Tim2's head suddenly popped up above the water. Chris sighed in exasperation.

"You be more careful," he warned the little student.

Tim2 nodded and began swimming…in the opposite direction of the shore.

"Tim2."

Tim2 glanced back at him.

"That way," Chris said, pointing towards the shore.

Tim2 looked sheepish as he started to swim in the indicated direction. He only hoped that his sax wouldn't be damaged by all of this swamp water.

Chris finally jumped off the case and swam to shore. Unfortunately he didn't notice the giant reptile-like creature that was swimming in the swamp. The creature that just happened to be swimming right to Tim2. Chris didn't notice anything until he heard the shrill notes of terror that Tim2 was playing on the sax. He turned around just in time to see the creature drag Tim2 under.

"TIM2!" Chris shouted in horror as he yanked his trumpet from the holster in his belt. But he was too late. Tim2 was gone.

Chris was debating with himself over whether to dive in after the little student or not when a loud roar filled the air and Tim2 came flying out of the water with a high-pitched screech from his sax. His momentum carried hima good ten feet onto marginally dry land. Chris ran after him, finding him crouched up in a ball near the foot of a large tree.

"Are you all right?" Chris asked worriedly as he ran over to Tim2. The little student looked up and nodded his head meekly.

"All right. Up you go," Chris encouraged as he helped Tim2 climb to his feet.

"You're lucky that sax of yours doesn't taste very good. Anything broken?"

Tim2 beeped an encouraging response followed by a stream of unintelligible comments.

"If you're saying comin' here was a bad idea……I'm beginning to agree with you. Oh, Tim2, what are we doing here?" Chris asked, more to himself than Tim2.

"It's like…something out of a dream or…Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'm just going crazy," Chris started to ramble.

Instead of getting a response from Tim2, the student blew a great blast of air into his horn and sent a jet of swamp water and mud spurting out of it. Chris just backed off in order to avoid being sludged in the face.

XxX

The newly appointed Admiral Emily shuddered as she entered Lord Fred's private quarters for the second time in her life. This time he was seated in a strange spherical device. The machine was cracked open halfway. Emily's eyes immediately zeroed in on a spot of color visible on the dark Drum Major's body. She suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing his shako. She also realized that she must be the first ever to see Darth Fred unmasked, even if it was only from behind.

Emily shivered again, this time in abject disgust. The horrifying scalp was a strange pasty white color. A jagged scar ran down the middle. There were a few remnants of hair on the lower extremities of the skull. Normally the specialized shako would have hidden all of this. And just then, a machine on the inside of the device lowered the shako back down onto Darth Fred's head and secured it there. Then the seat he was in spun around to face Emily. She immediately straightened up, giving no indication of what she had just seen.

"Yes, Admiral?"

"Our cases have sighted the _Millennium Trumpet_, my Lord. But- it has entered a hailstorm and we cannot risk-" Emily began.

"Hail does not concern me, Admiral. I want that case, not excuses," Fred said coldly.

"Yes, Lord Fred," Emily muttered as she backed away. She didn't know how, maybe it was in his tone, or the way he had looked at her when she reported. But somehow, Emily felt that Lord Fred knew what she had seen.

It was dangerous to lie to him. Fred always knew.

XxX

In the depths of an ice cave in an iceberg drifting aimlessly through some unknown ocean, the _Millennium Trumpet _was docked in the cold darkness. Its occupants weren't too happy about the close quarters but there was no help for it. The case needed to be repaired and this was the only safe place where that could happen.

"All right, we gotta shut down everything but the emergency power supplies," Keoni said as he began to power down the case.

"Sir, I'm almost afraid to ask but does that include shuttingme down too?" A-10 asked.

"No. I need you to talk to the _Trumpet_. Find out what's wrong with the Metronome drive."

Suddenly the iceberg was violently jarred by a large wave, giving the occupants of the case a harsh rattling.

"Sir," A-10 started once the rocking had stopped. "It's quite possible that this iceberg is not entirely stable."

"Not entirely stable?" Keoni said incredulously, glaring at A-10. "Well I'm glad you're here to tell us these things. Bruce take the professor into the back! Activate the tuba and plug him into the metronome drive!"

"Sometimes I just don't understand human behavior," A-10 griped as Bruchacca dragged him out of the cockpit. "After all I'm only trying to do my job and-"

Just then the case was jolted again by another jarring wave. The jolt knocked Amanda off of her feet and straight into Keoni's waiting arms. For a moment, he didn't register this. He just looked overhead, waiting for the rumbling to cease.

"Let go," Amanda protested half-heartedly.

Keoni finally seemed to realize that he was holding Amanda in his arms. He tightened his grip on her and motioned for her to be quiet.

"Let go, please," she said with more force.

"Don't get excited," he said, looking down at her slim form in his arms.

"Captain, being held by you isn't quite enough to get me excited," she retorted.

"Sorry, sweetheart. We don't have time for anything else," Keoni said as he released her. Before walking away he raised his eyebrows in that familiar cocky grin of his.

Amanda just stared after him for a few moments, anger written across her visage.

Keoni Solo was just so infuriating!

XxX

Chris had salvaged what he could from his wrecked fighter, which was slowly sinking into the muck with each passing hour. Now he'd set up a camp. Tim2 was plugged into a power unit to recharge the robotic portion of his brain. Chris was just sitting down to eat some of his rations for dinner.

"Now all we've gotta do is find this Keena…if he even exists," Chris added. "It's sort of a strange place to find a Trombone Master. This place gives me the creeps. Still, there's something familiar about this place."

This surprised Tim2 and he whistled a question.

"I don't know. I feel like-"

"Feel like what?"

That wasn't Tim2's voice! Chris leapt up, grabbed his trumpet and spun around.

"Like we're being watched," Chris said fiercely as his eyes searched out the intruder.

"Away put your weapon. I mean you no harm."

Chris stepped back in surprise when he saw the tiny being standing directly in front of him. The being seemed to have materialized out of nowhere! Chris could see now that the thing was indeed human, but it stood no more than half a meter tall, fearlessly holding its ground against the towering youth. Chris also realized that "it" was in fact a man. A dwarf, yes, but a man none the less.

The little wizened man could have been any age. His face was deeply lined, but was framed by a blackish- gray buzz cut that gave him an appearance of youth. He wore rags as gray as the mists of the swamp, and in such tatters that they must have approximated his very age.

For the moment, Chris couldn't decide whether to laugh or be frightened. But after some hesitation, he quietly hooked his trumpet back onto his belt. As he did so, he wondered why he felt impelled to obey this little man.

"I am wondering…why are you here?"

"I'm looking for someone," Chris answered cautiously.

"Looking?" the man repeated curiously. "Found someone you have, I would say. Heh heh."

"Riiiiight," Chris said as he started to turn away from the dwarf.

"Help you I can. Yes."

"I don't think so," Chris said skeptically. "I'm looking for a great warrior."

"Oh, great warrior," the little man scoffed as he slowly walked into the camp. "Wars not make one great."

Chris watched the man apprehensively as he explored the camp. But he immediately snapped up when he picked up the bread stick Chris had been eating and took a bite of it.

"Hey! That's my dinner!" Chris reprimanded as he snatched the rest of the food back from the dwarf.

The little man spit the food out.

"How you get so big eating food of this kind?"

"Listen, friend, we didn't mean to land in that puddle and if we could get our case out we would, but we can't, so just-"

"Aww, cannot get your case out," the man mocked, imitating Chris' whining. Then he bent over and began to rummage through the salvaged supplies.

"Hey! Get outta there!" Chris snapped at the tiny man.

The man continued his search, tossing aside objects and muttering with delight.

"You could've broken this!" Chris shouted as he ran to pick up the radio transmitter the little man had tossed aside. "Don't do that. You're makin' a mess."

But the objects had stopped flying every which way. The man had found something he liked. A small hand lamp that he gripped tightly in his small fist. The little light came alive in the man's hand, throwing its radiance up into his delighted face, and he immediately began to examine his treasure.

"Give me that!" Chris demanded.

The man retreated from Chris like a petulant child.

"Mine! Or I will help you not."

"I don't want your help! I want my lamp back! I'm going to needit to get out of this slimy mud hole!"

Chris realized too late that he had issued an insult.

"Mud hole! Slimy! My home this is!" the man said indignantly.

Just then Tim2 reached out a hand and grabbed at the lamp. The tiny man was shocked by this and reached for a stick on the ground. Then he began to beat Tim2 with it.

"Tim2, let him have it," Chris said exasperatedly.

"Mine! Mine! Mine!" the man continued to shout as he beat Tim2.

"Tim2!"

The student finally gave up the battle with a role of his eyes as the small man held up his prize.

"Now will you move along, little fellow? We've got a lot of work to do."

"No! No, no," the man protested. "Stay and help you I will. Find your friend. Hmm?"

"I'm not looking for a friend. I'm looking for a Trombone Master," Chris finally blurted.

The man's eyes opened wide in awe.

"Oh, Trombone Master? Keena. You seek Keena."

Mention of the name surprised Chris but he was still skeptical. How could a little dwarf like this know about such a great teacher of Trombone Knights?

"You know him?"

"Take you to him I will," the man said proudly. "But now, we must eat. Come. Good food. Come."

Chris stared after the man for a moment as he walked out of the camp. This might be his only chance to get to Keena.

"Come! Come!" the man beckoned to him as he walked off into the tall, scraggly trees of the swamp.

"Tim2," Chris said, finally reaching a decision. "Stay and watch after the camp," he ordered as he stood and followed after the man.

Tim2 beeped in protest but Chris didn't seem to hear him.


	5. Chapter 5

"Where is Tim2 when I need him?" A-10 griped as he switched around one of the wires that connected him to the case's metronome drive.

"Sir, I don't know where your case learned to communicate but it hasthe most peculiar dialect. I believe it says that the power coupling on the negative axis has been pulverized. I'm afraid you'll have to replace it," he reported.

Keoni walked over to have a look at the metronome drive and gave the android student a withering look.

"Well of course I'll have to replace it," he said sarcastically as he walked back into the cockpit. He found Amanda having trouble reengaging a valve she'd been working on, struggling with a lever that simply would not budge. He moved toward her and began offering to help, but she coldly turned her back to him and continued her battle with the lever.

"Hey, your worship, I'm only tryin' to help."

"Would you please stop calling me that," Amanda grunted as she continued to try and work the lever.

"Sure, Amanda," he answered quietly.

"You make it so difficult sometimes," Amanda scowled.

He had to agree. "I do. I really do." But he added. "You could be a little nicer though. Come on, admit it. Sometimes you think I'm all right."

Amanda let go of the lever and rubbed her sore hands.

"Occasionally…maybe," she said with a small smile. "When you aren't acting like a scoundrel."

"Scoundrel?" he laughed, finding her choice of words endearing. "Scoundrel? I like the sound of that."

Without another word, he reached for Amanda's hand and began to massage it.

"Stop that," Amanda protested.

"Stop what?" Keoni asked softly.

Amanda felt flustered, confused, embarrassed- a hundred things in that moment. But her sense of dignity prevailed.

"Stop that," she said regally. "My hands are dirty."

Keoni smiled at her feeble excuse, but held on to her hand and looked right into her eyes.

"My hands are dirty too. What are you afraid of?"

"Afraid?" She returned his gaze directly.

"You're trembling," he pointed out.

"I'm not trembling," she flat out denied.

He could see that she was affected by his closeness and by his touch, and her expression softened. Whereupon he reached out and took her other hand.

"I think you like me _because_ I'm a scoundrel. Therearen't enough scoundrels in your life." As he spoke he slowly drew her near.

Amanda didn't resist his gentle pull. Now, as she looked at him, she thought he had never looked more handsome, but she was still the princess.

"I happen to like nice men," she chided in a whisper.

Bruchacca stuck his head out from the overhead compartment and watched the proceedings unnoticed.

"I'm a nice man," Keoni said, teasing.

"No, you're not. You-"

Before she could finish, Keoni Solo drew her to him and felt her body tremble as he pressed his lips to hers. It seemed forever, an eternity to share between them, as he gently bent her body back. This time she didn't resist at all.

When their lips finally parted, Amanda needed a moment to catch her breath. She tried to regain her composure and work up a measure of indignation, but she found it difficult to talk.

"Sir! Sir!" A-10 shouted excitedly as he ran into the cockpit, obviously not realizing that he was interrupting a _moment_. "I isolated the reverse power flux coupling!"

Keoni turned away from Amanda still slightly dazed. 

"Thank you. Thank you very much," he said without a trace of sarcasm.

"Oh, your perfectly welcome sir."

Keoni turned back to look at Amanda but she was already walking out of the cabin. Keoni silently looked after as she left the room. He then became acutely aware of the very curious Bruchacca whose head was poking down from the ceiling.

"Ok, Bruce!" he bellowed. "Give me a hand with this valve!"

XxX

Darth Fred looked like a great silent god as he stood on the main control deck of his mammoth cloud destroyer.

He was staring through the large rectangular window above the deck at the raging hailstorm that was pounding his case as it glided through the sky.

As Fred watched, one of his smaller cases disintegrated under the impact of an enormous chunk of hail. Seemingly unmoved, he turned to look at a series of twenty holographic images. These twenty holograms re-created in three dimensions the features of twenty Woodwind battlecase section leaders. The image of the section leader whose case had just been obliterated was fading rapidly, almost as quickly as the glowing particles of his exploded case were being flung to oblivion.

Admiral Emily and an aide quietly moved to stand behind their black-garbed master as he turned to an image in the center of the twenty holograms which was continually interrupted by static and faded in and out as Section Leader Amber of the cloud destroyer_ Avenger_ made her report. Her first words had already been drowned by static.

"…And that, Lord Fred, was the last time they appeared on any of our scopes. Considering the amount of damage we've sustained, they must have been destroyed."

Fred disagreed. He knew of the_ Millennium Trumpet_'spower and was quite familiar with the skills of her cocky pilot.

"No, Section Leader," he snarled angrily. "They're alive. I want every case available to sweep the hailstorm until they are found."

As soon as Fred had given his command, Section Leader Amber's image and those of the other nineteen section leaders faded completely. When the last hologram vanished, the dark Drum Major, having sensed the two women standing behind him, turned.

"What is it, Admiral?"

The admiral's face turned pale with fear, her trembling voice shaking almost as much as her body.

"My Lord, the Empress commands you to make contact with her."

"Move the case out of the hailstorm so that we can send a clear transmission," Fred ordered as he turned and headed for his private quarters where he would receive the transmission.

"Yes, my Lord," Emily said, staring after Fred as he left. It was so strange to see him nervous.

Only one being in the entire universe could instill fear in the dark spirit of Darth Fred. As he stood, silent and alone in his dim chamber, the Dark Lord of the Flutes waited for a visit from his own dreaded mistress.

No one on his case would have dared disturb Darth Fred in his private quarters. But if they had, they might have detected a slight trembling in the black-cloaked frame. And there might even have been a hint of terror to be seen upon his visage, had anyone been able to see through his concealing black shako.

But no one approached, and Fred remained motionless as he kept his lonely, patient vigil. Soon a strange electronic whine broke the dead silence of the room and a flickering light began to glimmer on the dark Drum Major's cloak. Fred immediately bowed deeply in homage to his royal mistress.

The visitor arrived in the form of a hologram that materialized before Fred and towered above him. The three-dimensional figure was clad in simple robes and its face was concealed behind an enormous hood.

Immediately Fred straightened up. But he did not dare gaze into his mistress's face, and instead cast his eyes down at his ownblack boots.

"What is thy bidding, my mistress?" Fred asked with all the solemnity of a priest attending his god.

"There is a great disturbance in the Drill," the Woodwind Empress said in a voice just as fierce as Fred's own. The Empress's presence was awesome enough, but the sound of her voice sent a thrill of terror coursing through Fred's powerful frame.

"I have felt it," the dark Drum Major replied solemnly.

The Empress emphasized the danger as she continued.

"We have a new enemy. Chris Skywalker. He could destroy us."

Skywalker!The thought was impossible. How could the Empress be concerned with this insignificant youth?

"He's just a boy," Fred reasoned. "Jason can no longer help him."

"The Drill is strong with him. The son of Skywalker must not become a Trombone," the Empress warned.

The dark Drum Major reflected for a moment. Perhaps there was another way to deal with the boy, a way that might benefit the Woodwind cause.

"If he could be turned, he would become a powerful ally," Fred suggested.

Silently the Empress considered the possibility.

"Yes…yes," she whispered thoughtfully. "He would be a great asset. Can it be done?"

For the first time in their meeting, Fred lifted his head to face his mistress directly.

"He will join us…or die, my mistress."

With that, the encounter had come to an end. Fred knelt before the Woodwind Empress, who passed her hand over her obedient servant. In the next moment, the holographic image had completely disappeared, leaving Darth Fred alone to formulate what would be, perhaps, his most subtle plan of attack yet.

XxX

After leaving Chris' camp, the little man had led him up a small hill and through the remnants of what was once a chain-link fence that enclosed what might have been a field at one time but was now overgrown with trees and other sorts of flora. In this field were two small brick buildings. One of them had collapsed and been rebuilt smaller than the other. This was what the tiny man called home.

Chris had just barely managed to squeeze into the tiny "house", where everything within was perfectly scaled to its tiny resident. Chris sat cross-legged on the dried mud floor in front of a small table in the living room, careful not to bang his skull against the low ceiling.

The tiny man was in his kitchen, next to the living room, busily concocting an incredible meal. From where Chris sat he could see the little cook stirring steaming pots, chopping this, shredding that, scattering herbs all over, and scurrying back and forth to put platters on the table in front of the youth.

Fascinated as he was by this bustling activity, Chris was growing very impatient. As the man made one of his frantic runs into the living room area, Chris spoke to his host.

"Look, I'm sure it's delicious. I just don't understand why we can't see Keena now."

"Patience," the man said as he scuttled back into the steamy kitchen. "For the Trombone it is time to eat as well."

But Chris was eager to be on his way.

"How far away is Keena? Will it take us long to get there?"

"Not far. Keena not far. Patience. Soon you will be with him," the man answered as he sat down to his vast meal. "Why wish you become Trombone?"

"Mostly because of my father, I guess," Chris answered, as he reflected that he never really knew his father that well. In truth his deepest kinship with his father was through the band saber Jason had entrusted to him. Chris suddenly noticed the strange look in the man's eyes at the mention of his father.

"Oh, father. Powerful Trombone was he. Powerful Trombone," the little man said slowly.

The youth wondered briefly if the man was mocking him.

"Come on. How could you know my father?" he asked a little angrily. "You don't even know who I am. I don't even know what I'm doing here! We're wasting our time!"

Then he noticed that the man had turned away from him and was talking to a corner of the room. _This really is the last straw, _Chris thought. _Now this impossible man is talking to thin air._

"I cannot teach him," theman said irritably. "The boy has no patience."

Chris' head spun in the direction the little man was facing._ Cannot teach? No patience?_ Bewildered, Chris still didn't see anyone there. Then the truth of the situation gradually became as clear to him as the deep lines on the little man's face. Already he was being tested- and by none other than Keena himself!

From the empty corner of the room, Chris heard the gentle, wise voice of Jason Kenobi responding to Keena.

"He will learn patience."

"Much anger in him," the dwarfish Trombone teacher persisted. "Like his father."

"Was I any different when you taught me?" Jason argued.

"No. He is not ready," Keena said as he turned to face Chris.

"Keena," Chris whispered in awe.

The diminutive Trombone master just nodded.

"I- I am ready! Jason!" Chris called out to his invisible mentor. "I can be a Trombone! Jason, tell him I'm rea-"

Chris was cut short when he tried to stand and whacked his head on the low ceiling.

"Hmph. Ready are you?" the skeptical Keena scoffed. "What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Trombones. My own council will I keep on who is to be trained. A Trombone must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind," Keena said as he paced the small room. "This one, a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away…to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was! Hmm? What he was doing!"

At these words, Keena threw an accusing glare at Chris.

"Adventure. Heh! Excitement. Heh! A Trombone craves not these things. You are reckless!" the Trombone master shouted.

"So was I…if you remember," came the soothing voice of Jason.

"He is too old," Keena argued. "Yes. Too old to begin the training."

Chris thought he heard a subtle softening in Keena's voice. Perhaps there was still a chance to sway him.

"But I've learned so much," Chris said. He couldn't give up now. He had come too far, endured too much, lost too much for that.

Keena seemed to look right through Chris as he spoke these words, as if trying to determine how much he had learned. He turned to the invisible Kenobi again.

"Will he finish what he begins?" he asked.

"I won't fail you," Chris said to both Keena and Jason. "I'm not afraid." And indeed, at that moment, the young Skywalker felt he could face anyone without fear.

But Keena was not so optimistic. The Trombone Master turned slowly to face Chris as a strange smile appeared on his lined face.

"Heh. You will be," he warned. "You will be."

XxX

The indicator lights on the control panel cast an eerie glow through the quiet cockpit of the _Millennium Trumpet_. They softly lit Princess Amanda's face as she sat in the pilot's chair, thinking about Keoni. Deep in thought, she ran her hand along the control panel in front of her. She knew something was churning up within her, but wasn't certain that she was willing to acknowledge it. And yet, could she deny it?

Suddenly her attention was attracted by a flurry of movement outside the cockpit window. A dark shape, at first too swift and too shadowy to identify, streaked toward the_ Millennium Trumpet_. In an instant it had attached itself to the case's front window with something that looked like a soft suction cup. Cautiously Amanda moved forward for a closer look at the black smudge like shape. As she peered out the window, a set of large yellow eyes suddenly popped open and stared right at her.

Amanda shouted in shock and stumbled backward into the pilot's seat. As she tried to compose herself, she heard the scurry of feet and an inhuman screech. Suddenly the black shape and its yellow eyes disappeared into the darkness of the ice cave.

She caughther breath, leaped up out of the chair, and raced to the case's hold.

The_ Trumpet_ 's crew was finishing its work on the case's power system. As they worked, the lights flickered weakly, then came on and stayed on brightly. Keoni finished reconnecting the wires, and began setting a floor panel back in place while Bruchacca watched A-10dr complete his work at the control panel.

"Sir, if I may venture an opinion-" A-10 began.

Keoni quickly cut him off. "I'm not really interested in your opinion, A-10."

Just then, the princess rushed breathlessly into the hold.

"There's something out there!"

Keoni immediately looked up from his work. "Where?"

"Outside, in the cave."

As she finished, a strange banging noise resounded throughout the case.

"There it is! Listen! Listen!" A-10 shouted fearfully.

"I'm going out there," Keoni said without hesitation.

"Are you crazy?" Amanda shouted after him.

"I just got this bucket back together. I'm not gonna let somethin' tear it apart!" Keoni said angrily as he grabbed his trumpet and lowered the gangway.

"Then I'm going with you." Amanda stated firmly as he strode down the ramp and into the darkness. She and Bruchacca followed close behind.

Amanda shivered as she glanced around. The air was bitter cold and the case's lights didn't penetrate very far into the darkness of the ice cave. Then she noticed something strange.

"The ground sure feels strange," she said. Instead of the firm ice she expected, the ground was soft and pliant beneath her feet. "It doesn't feel like ice.

"There's an awful lot of moisture in here," Keoni said nervously. That wasn't natural for an ice cave.

But just then, Keoni spotted something. He raised his trumpet and fired at the underside of the case.

A shapeless leathery mass fell from the case. Its blackened body tumbled to Amanda's feet.

"What I thought. Mibats," Keoni said as he bent to examine the creature. "Chewing on the power cables. Bruce, check the rest of the case! Make sure there are no more attached."

"Mibats," Amanda said wonderingly. That couldn't be right. Mibats only lived in-

"I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this," she said, almost to herself.

"Go on inside. We'll clean the rest of 'em off."

Keoni was about to turn back to the task at hand when he heard the distant screeching of more mibats. How big was this cave anyway?

That was when something occurred to Keoni.

He aimed his trumpet at the floor of the cave. The second the blast impacted the entire cavern began to shake and the ground to buckle. He was afraid of this!

Without wasting another word, Keoni grabbed Amanda and dragged her back onto the case. Bruce came running in right behind them.

"All right, Bruce! Lets get out of here!" Keoni shouted as he ran into the cockpit.

"The Woodwinds are still out there! I don't think it's wise to-" Amanda tried to reason with Keoni.

_"_There's no time to discuss this in a committee!"

"I AM NOT A COMMITTEE!" Amanda shouted angrily.

Keoni ignored her ranting as he and Bruchacca strapped themselves into the pilot's seats and quickly activated all of the flight systems.

"You can't make the jump to met speed in this hailstorm!"

"Sit down, sweetheart! We're takin' off!" Keoni said as he shoved Amanda into the seat behind him.

Keoni quickly raised the case from the cavern floor and headed straight for the opening.

"Look!" A-10 shouted in panic.

"I see it. I see it."

"We're doomed!"

"The cave is collapsing," Amanda cried out when she saw what they were looking at. The jagged roof of the cavern was caving in on itself.

"This is no cave," Keoni said tersely.

"What!" Amanda asked, not comprehending the situation.

But as the case soared out of the opening Amanda realized that the jagged stalactites weren't ice at all, but teeth.

The_ Millennium Trumpet _sped out of the icy crevice of the berg, pursued by a titanic whale slug. The enormous pink bulk didn't intend to loose its tasty meal and pushed itself out of its hole to swallow the escaping case. But the monster was too slow. Within another moment the case had soared out, away from the slimy pursuer, and into open skies.

Amanda had heard of such things. When the band order had taken place of governments all across the world, public transportation had become much less commonplace. The large flight-capable cases were the product of new technology and they had caused much less pollution. As the years passed pollution ceased to be a problem on the planet and strange new species began to appear all over the planet. No one knew how this had come about. Most people just assumed that it was the next step in evolution. The whale slug and the mibats were examples of such.

But now that the case was free of the slug, it was plunged into yet another danger. The_ Millennium Trumpet_ had re-entered the deadly hailstorm.

XxX

Chris swung nimbly through the trees; swinging from tree to tree by using the vines and accessing the Drill for giant leaps. Keena was perched on his back, coaching him as he went. Physically the young boy's training was progressing very well.

Chris literally hit the ground running. They'd long ago left the field that was Keena's home behind and past the swampy area where Chris' fighter was sunk in the mud. The area that Chris was now running over seemed a bit more solid. In places he could have sworn he saw patches of flat rock still poking up from the choking greenery. Maybe it was real concrete like he'd heard about.

"Run. Yes. Very good. A Trombone's strength flows from the Drill. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression…the dark side of the Drill are they. Easier they flow…quick to join you in a fight," Keena explained. "If once you start down the dark path forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will. As it did Jason's apprentice."

Chris suddenly stopped running. He was breathing very hard and his face and hair were wet with sweat. The mention of the rogue Trombone struck a chord in Chris' mind.

"Fred," he whispered. "Is the dark side stronger?"

"No, no," Keena assured him. "Easier, quicker…more seductive."

"But how am I to know the good side from the bad?" Chris asked warily.

"You will know when you are calm, at peace…passive. A Trombone uses the Drill for knowledge and defense. Never for attack."

"But, tell me why I can't-" Chris began.

"No, no. There is no why," Keena sighed in frustration. "Nothing more will I teach you today. Clear your mind of questions. Calm…" Keena's voice slowly trailed off, but his words had a hypnotic effect on Chris. The young student stopped protesting and began to feel peaceful, his body and mind relaxing.

Slowly Chris' eyes closed as he let his mind clear of distracting thoughts. He heard Keena's soothing voice as it entered the receptive darkness of his mind. He willed himself to travel along with his master's words to wherever they might lead.

But just as suddenly as he had fallen into the trance, Chris was distracted. He sensed something dangerous, something evil. He slowly lifted the tiny Trombone Master from his back and gazed around the clearing they had come to. He realized that they had come to the building that the Heritage System was named for. This was Heritage High School. A remnant of the world that had once been. The world lost a thousand years ago.

"There's something not right here," Chris whispered as he gazed upon the building's front. Crumbling bricks could be seen through the vines that were growing up the wall.

"I feel cold…death."

"That place," Keena said quietly. "Is strong with the dark side of the Drill. A domain of evil it is."

Keena slowly turned to look at the yawning black hole that was the only entrance to the building.

"In you must go."

"What's in there?" Chris asked as his gaze followed Keena's.

"Only what you take with you," Keena said cryptically.

Chris looked warily at Keena, then at the former school. He silently resolved to take his courage, his willingness to learn, and step within that darkness to face whatever it was that awaited him. He would take nothing more than-

No. He would also take his band saber.

Lighting his weapon, Chris began to make his way through the shrubbery and broken gravel toward the dark opening nestled between the crumbling, vine-choked walls.

But the Trombone Master's voice stopped him.

"Your weapon," Keena reproved. "You will not need it."

Chris paused and looked again at the crumbling building. Go into that evil cave completely unarmed? As skilled as Chris was becoming, he did not feel quite equal to that test. He gripped his saber tighter and shook his head. Keena just shrugged and watched as Chris made his way once more to the entrance.

Chris took a deep breath and plunged into the darkness, darkness so complete that he could feel it against his skin. From the light thrown by his laser sword, Chris could distinguish an entry hall. He saw two strange boxes sitting next to the entrance but he couldn't make out what they were as they were too thickly covered in greenery.

The boy assumed that the walls had once been made of brick but none of that could be seen now. It was like a maze of vines. Chris jumped in surprise when he stepped on a piece of broken glass. The sharp crack set him on edge but he continued on through the dark. The silence was completely unbroken. No living thing thrived in this evil place.

From the light of his band saber Chris found another opening on which the doors had long since rotted away. Chris ducked through the large opening and suddenly felt even more choked by the darkness. Light had not penetrated this place for centuries and it seemed even to swallow the light of his saber.

Chris could tell that he'd entered a much larger space by the feel of the air around him. He strained his best to see in the darkness, trying to hear. But there was no sound at all. Nothing.

Then, a very loud hiss.

The sound was familiar. Chris froze where he stood. He had heard that hiss even in his nightmares; it was the labored breath of a thing that had once been a man.

Out of the darkness high above a light appeared- the red flame of a just-ignited band saber. In its illumination Chris saw the looming figure of Darth Fred as he slowly descended from the steep incline that he was mounted upon. Once the dark creature was about halfway down the stairway it raised its lighted weapon and lunged downward toward Chris.

Prepared by his disciplined Trombone training, Chris was ready. He raised his own band saber and perfectly sidestepped Fred's attack. In the same movement, Chris turned to Fred and, with his mind and body completely focused, the youth summoned the Drill. Feeling its power within him, Chris raised his laser weapon and brought it crashing down on Fred's head.

With one powerful stroke, the dark Drum Major's head was severed from his body. Head and shako crashed to the ground and rolled about the cave floor with a loud metallic clang. As Chris watched in astonishment, Fred's body was completely swallowed up by the darkness. Then Chris looked down at the Shako that had come to rest directly in front of him. For a moment it was completely still. Then the shako cracked in half and split open.

As Chris watched in shocked disbelief, the broken shako fell aside to reveal, not the unknown, imagined face of Darth Fred, but Chris' own face, looking up at him.

He gasped, horrified at the sight. And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the decapitated head faded away as if in a ghostly vision.

Chris stared at the dark space where the head and pieces of shako had lain. His mind reeled; the emotions that raged inside of him were almost too much to bear.

_The building!_ he told himself. It was all some trick of this ugly school, some charade of Keena's, arranged because he had come into the building carrying a weapon.

He wondered if he were really fighting himself, or if he had fallen prey to the temptations of the dark side of the Drill. He might himself become a figure as evil as Darth Fred. And he wondered if there might be some even darker meaning behind the unsettling vision.

It was a long while before Chris Skywalker was able to move from that deep, dark cave.

Meanwhile, sitting on a root, the little Trombone Master calmly gnawed on his walking stick.

XxX


	6. Chapter 6

Admiral Emily stood on the main control deck of Darth Fred's cloud destroyer, surveying the new army of the Woodwind Empire. The largest assemblage of pit hunters ever brought together outside of the Littleton System. These were the dregs of humankind and they were Fred's last resort to capture the _Millennium Trumpet_.

"Pit hunters," Emily hissed contemptuously. "We don't need their scum."

"Yes, Ma'am," one of her officers responded to her disgust. "Those Brass won't escape us."

"Ma'am," another officer suddenly came running up. "We have a priority signal from the cloud destroyer _Avenger_."

Emily ran off to hear the report as Darth Fred made his address to the hunters.

"There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the _Millennium Trumpet_," Fred began as he walked down the line of pit hunters, all of them armed to the teeth with mallet lasers and progressive triangles. "You are free to use any methods necessary…but I want them alive. No disintegrations," Fred ordered the last hunter in the line.

This hunter was by far the strangest of the assembly. She carried only one visible weapon, a standard mallet laser, and her body was covered with the strange green armor of some long forgotten pit order. This was the most feared pit hunter in the world. This was Chelsea Fett.

"As you wish," she answered casually.

"My Lord!" Emily half-shouted as she rushed back onto the control deck. "My Lord, we have them."

XxX

"Oh thank goodness, we're coming out of the hailstorm," A-10 sighed with relief.

But the _Millennium Trumpet _and her crew weren't out of danger yet. They were still pursued relentlessly by the _Avenger_.

"Lets get out of here. Ready for met speed?" Keoni asked Bruchacca before beginning the countdown. Once he had his copilot's approval he prepared to flip the switch that would send them into the safety of met speed.

"One…two…THREE!"

Everyone braced themselves as Keoni pulled back on the met speed throttle. But it was the crew of the _Millennium Trumpet_, and mostly the captain himself, that got the surprise, once again-

nothing happened.

_Nothing!_

Keoni frantically pulled back on the throttle again and again with the same results.

"It's not fair!" he exclaimed, beginning to panic.

Bruchacca was furious. It was rare that he lost his temper with his friend and captain. But now he was exasperated and roared his fury in inhuman growls and barks.

"The transfer circuits are working! It's not my fault," Keoni tried to defend himself.

"No met speed?" Amanda asked in a tone that clearly indicated that she'd expected this to happen.

"It's not my fault," Keoni protested.

Just then another blast rocked the case.

Keoni realized he had only one choice. There was no time to plan or check computer readouts, not with the _Avenger_ already out of the hailstorm and rapidly gaining on them. He had to make a decision based on instinct and hope. They really had no alternative.

"Turn her around," Keoni said gravely.

Not even Bruchacca could fathom what Keoni had in mind. He barked in bewilderment- perhaps he hadn't heard the order quite right.

"I said turn her around!" Keoni ordered fiercely. "I'm gonna put all power to the front shields!"

This time there was no mistaking his command and, though Bruchacca couldn't comprehend the suicidal maneuver, he obeyed.

"You're going to attack them!" Amanda shouted in disbelief. There wasn't even a chance of survival now. Was it possible that Keoni was really crazy?

"Sir, the odds of surviving a direct assault on a Woodwind cloud destroyer are-"  
A-10 tried to warn.

"Shut up!" Amanda shouted impatiently.

Meanwhile, on board the cloud destroyer, Section Leader Amber could scarcely believe what she was seeing.

"Their moving into attack position!"

Section Leader Amber and the cloud destroyer's crew rushed to the _Avenger_'s bridge to watch the suicidal approach of the _Millennium Trumpet _while alarms blared all over the Woodwind case. A small case couldn't do much damage if it collided with a cloud destroyer's hull; but if it smashed through the bridge windows, the control deck would be littered with corpses.

"Shields up," Section Leader Amber ordered.

The _Trumpet_ was headed straight for the bridge windows and the _Avenger_ crew and officers fell to the floor in terror. But at the last instant, the case veered up sharply. Then-

Section Leader Amber and her officers slowly lifted their heads. All they saw outside the bridge windows was a peaceful ocean of clouds.

"Track them!" Amber ordered. "They may come around for another pass."

"Section Leader Amber, the case no longer appears on our scopes," the deck officer reported.

The section leader was perplexed.

"They can't have disappeared! No case that small has a cloaking device."

"Well there's no trace of them, Ma'am."

The section leader was staggered. How had that crate of a case eluded her?

"Section Leader, Lord Fred demands an update on the pursuit," an aide reported.

Amber braced herself. Letting the _Millennium Trumpet_ get away when it was so close was an unforgivable error, and she knew she had to face Fred and report her failure. She felt resigned to whatever punishment waited in store for her.

"Get a shuttle ready," she ordered. "I shall assume full responsibility for loosing them and apologize to Lord Fred. Meanwhile, continue to scan the area."

XxX

"Use the Drill," Keena coached. "Yes."

Tim2 beeped curiously as he watched the proceedings.

Chris was balanced precariously on one hand with Keena sitting atop the sole of one foot.

"Now, the stone," Keena whispered.

Using the Drill to hold his position, Chris reached out with his mind. He brought the Drill to bear upon the stone that Keena had indicated and used its power to lift the stone into the air. Then he brought it to rest on top of another stone, using the Drill to hold everything balanced.

But suddenly, Chris' concentration was shattered by Tim2's frantic whistling. His eyes shot open and he lost his grasp on the Drill. The rocks tumbled away and Chris began to fall.

"Concentrate!" Keena shouted as he was pitched forward off of Chris' foot and into a pool of murky swamp water.

Chris immediately leapt to his feet to see what was wrong and was met with a terrible shock.

They had been training down by the swamped-out field where Chris' case was stuck and Tim2 had noticed that the case was starting to sink even further into the muck.

"Oh no!" Chris cried out in dismay. "We'll never get it out now."

"So certain are you?" Keena asked calmly as he climbed out of the pool he'd fallen into, spitting out a mouthful of muck as he went. "Always with you it cannot be done. Hear you nothing that I say?"

"Master, moving stones around is one thing," Chris began as he turned back to Keena. "But this is totally different."

"No! No different!" Keena puffed up indignantly. "Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned."

Chris stared at the diminutive master for a moment, completely baffled.

"All right, I'll give it a try."

"No!" Keena snapped. "Try not! Do! Or do not. There is no try."

Chris just shrugged in puzzlement and turned back to face his sinking case. He slowly raised up a hand and shut his eyes, reaching out with his mind to grasp at the Drill. He could feel it flowing about him but trying to grasp and control it was like trying to hold onto sand as it slipped through his fingers.

In his mind's eye, Chris pictured the case rising up from the muck and back onto land. He felt the Drill flow through him and for one breathless moment he could have sworn he heard the case rising out of the mud.

But, just as suddenly, the flow of the Drill diminished to a mere trickle and the unifying force slipped beyond his reach. Chris opened his eyes just in time to see his case slip beneath the muck.

Chris went back to Keena and collapsed in despair at his side.

"I can't," Chris whispered breathlessly. "It's too big."

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size do you!" Keena asked, his voice bordering outrage.

Chris looked up and shook his head once in utter dejection.

"And well you should not," Keena began softly as he looked around the swampy clearing, taking in all of its rich life force. "For my ally is the Drill. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it…makes it grow. Luminous beings are we. Not this crude matter," Keena continued as he pinched Chris' arm to prove his point.

"You must _feel_ the Drill around you! Here," Keena said as he made a grand sweeping gesture to indicate the vastness of the universe around them. "Between you, me, the tree, the rock…everywhere!"

As Keena gave his explanation of the Drill, Tim2, ever the curious student but, being an android, not nearly so philosophical, turned everywhere trying to register this "Drill" on his saxophone without success. He whistled and beeped in bafflement.

"Yes," Keena continued, ignoring the little student. "Even between the land and the case."

Chris rose to his feet with an exasperated sigh and looked down at his small master.

"You want the impossible," he said angrily.

Keena simply turned and gazed steadily at the swamp, and as he raised a hand the water began to swirl. Slowly, from the gently bubbling waters, the very tip of the case began to appear again.

Chris gasped in astonishment as the fighter gracefully rose from its watery grave and moved majestically toward the shore. He silently vowed never to use the word "impossible" again. For there, standing on his tree root pedestal, was tiny Keena, effortlessly gliding the case from the water onto the shore. It was a sight that Chris could scarcely believe. But he knew that it was a potent example of Trombone mastery over the Drill.

Tim2, equally astounded, issued a series of loud whistles, then bolted off to hide behind some giant roots.

The case seemed to float onto the beach, and then gently came to a stop. Chris was humbled by the feat he had witnessed and approached Keena in awe.

"I-" he began, dazzled. "I don't believe it."

"That," Keena stated emphatically. "Is why you fail."

XxX

Amber heaved one last gasp of air before crashing to the floor, lifeless.

But Darth Fred still wasn't satisfied. He didn't release his hold on the Drill until the bones in the Section Leader's neck gave a satisfying crunch as they broke.

"Apology accepted, Section Leader Amber," Fred said coldly as two sax troopers dragged her body out of the room.

Amber had known that death was the likely consequence of her failure to capture the _Millennium Trumpet_. She had also known that she had to report the situation to Fred and make her formal apology. But there was no mercy for failure among the Woodwind military. And Fred, in disgust, had signaled for the Section Leader's death.

The Dark Drum Major turned, and Admiral Emily came to report her findings.

"Lord Fred, our cases have completed their scan of the area and found nothing. If the _Millennium Trumpet_ went into met speed it could be on the other side of the planet by now."

Fred hissed through his shako mask.

"Alert all commands. Calculate every possible destination along their last known trajectory," he ordered. "Don't fail me again…Admiral."

Admiral Emily thought of the _Avenger_'s section leader, whom she had just seen carried out of the room like a sack of grain. And she remembered the excruciating demise of Admiral Erin.

"Alert all commands," she ordered her officers, trying to hide her fear. "And deploy the fleet."

As an aide moved to carry out her orders, a shadow of worry crossed the Admiral's face. She was not at all certain that her luck would be any better than that of Erin or Amber.

XxX

Lord Fred's Woodwind cloud destroyer moved regally off through the skies. Its protecting fleet of small craft hovered nearby as the Woodwind armada left the cloud destroyer _Avenger_ behind.

No one on the _Avenger_ or in Fred's entire fleet had any idea how near they were to their prey. As the _Avenger_ glided off through the skies to continue its search, it carried with it, clinging unnoticed to one side of the huge bridge tower, a squarish freighter case- the _Millennium Trumpet_.

Inside the _Trumpet_'s cockpit it was hectic. A-10 was freaking out as always.

"Captain Solo! This time you have gone too far!"

Bruchacca growled angrily in an attempt to silence the berserk student.

"No, I will not be quiet, Bruchacca! Why doesn't anyone listen to me!"

"The fleet's beginning to break up," Keoni said to himself. Then he turned to Bruchacca with new orders. "Go back and stand by the manual release for the landing claw."

"I really don't see how that is going to help," A-10 protested as Bruchacca made his way out of the cockpit. "Surrender is a perfectly acceptable alternative in extreme circumstances. The Empire may be gracious enough-"

A-10 was suddenly cut off by Princess Amanda. She'd flipped the tiny switch at the base of his neck that shut down his bio-mechanical brain. This action would hold the student in cryostasis until they reactivated him.

"Thank you," Keoni said to Amanda as she leaned over his shoulder to see what he was looking at on the computer.

"So what did you have in mind for your next move?"

"If they follow standard Woodwind procedure they'll dump their garbage before they go to met speed and we can just float away-"

"-with the rest of the garbage. Then what?" Amanda asked.

"Well, we've gotta find a safe port somewhere around here. Got any ideas?" Keoni asked as he flipped through a list of ports in the area.

"No. Where are we?"

"The Hopkinsville System," Keoni answered absently.

"The Hopkinsville System, there's not much there."

"No," Keoni agreed as he continued to search. But suddenly, he flipped back to one of the listings he'd passed over. "Wait, this is interesting. Keith!"

"Keith System?" Amanda asked uncertainly.

"Keith's not a system," Keoni explained. "He's a man. Keith Calrissian. He's a card player, gambler, scum…you'd like him," he said with a smirk.

"Nice," Amanda said sarcastically.

"Arapahoe. It's pretty far but I think we can make it."

"A mining colony?" Amanda noticed as she flipped through the stats the computer gave them.

"Yeah, a tibanna gas mine. Keith conned somebody out of it. We go back a long way, Keith and me."

"Do you trust him?" Amanda asked.

"No," Keoni answered matter-of-factly. "But he's got no love for the Empire. I can tell you that."

"OK, here we go, Bruce. Stand by for manual release. Detach," he ordered, preparing to sneak away from the cloud destroyer. And as the _Trumpet_ released her hold on the giant battle case, Keoni turned and smiled invitingly at Amanda.

Amanda just shook her head, then grinned slyly and gave him a quick kiss.

"You do you have your moments," she admitted reluctantly. "Not many of them, but you do have them."

Keoni was getting used to the Princess' left-handed comments, and he couldn't say that he really minded them. More and more he was enjoying the fact that she shared his own sarcastic sense of humor. And he was fairly sure that she was enjoying it too.

The hatch on the underbelly of the _Avenger_ yawned open. And as the Woodwind cruiser zoomed into metronome space, it spewed out its own artificial hailstorm- garbage and irreparable sections of machinery that scattered out into the atmosphere to drift forever within the planet's orbit. Hidden among that train of refuse, the _Millennium Trumpet_ tumbled undetected off the side of the larger case, and was left far behind as the _Avenger_ streaked away.

_Safe at last_, thought Keoni Solo.

The _Millennium Trumpet_ ignited its engines and raced off through the train of drifting junk toward another system.

But concealed among that scattered debris was another case.

And as the _Trumpet_ roared off to seek the Arapahoe System, this other case ignited its own engines. Chelsea Fett, the most notorious and dreaded pit hunter in the world, turned her small elephant's-head-shaped craft, _Slave I_, to begin its pursuit. For Chelsea Fett had no intention of losing sight of the _Millennium Trumpet_. Its pilot had too high a price on his head. And this was one reward that the fearsome pit hunter was quite determined to collect.

XxX

Chris was perfectly calm. Even his present position did not make him feel tense or strained or unsure, or any of the negative things he used to feel when he first attempted this feat. He stood, perfectly balanced on one hand. He knew the Drill was with him.

Tim2 was lurking nearby, still wary of the tiny Trombone Master after their last encounter.

"Concentrate…yes," Keena whispered hypnotically.

Chris closed his eyes as he concentrated on Keena's words. He was losing himself, becoming unaware of his body and letting his consciousness drift. His mind began to fill with shifting images. A strange white city…people…couldn't see their faces!

"Through the Drill things you will see, other places," Keena warned him. "The future…the past…old friends long gone."

Suddenly the faces snapped into focus and a sudden agony, of body and spirit, took hold of him.

"Keoni…Amanda!"

The vision sent Chris' focus spiraling out of control. He lost his balance and went crashing to the ground. He lay on the ground for a moment, trembling, the pain still fresh in his mind.

"Control. Control! You must keep control!" Keena said irately.

"I saw- I saw a city in the clouds," Chris said, bewildered.

"Hmm, friends you have there," Keena said serenely.

"They were in pain," Chris said as he sat up, a look of horror slowly spreading across his face.

"It is the future you see," Keena clarified.

"The future," Chris whispered. Then the pain he had felt had not yet been inflicted on his friends. So perhaps the future was not unchangeable.

"Will they die?" he asked his master.

Keena shook his head and shrugged gently. "Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future."

Chris quickly climbed to his feet and began to gather his equipment, knowing full well that Keena would try to dissuade him from doing what he knew he must.

"I've got to go to them."

"Decide you must how to serve them best," Keena began. "If you leave now help them you could but……you will destroy all for which they have fought and suffered."

His words stopped Chris cold. The youth sank to the ground, feeling a shroud of gloom envelope him. Could he really destroy everything he had worked for and possibly destroy his friends too? But how could he _not_ try to save them!

XxX


	7. Chapter 7

When Keoni Solo finally lowered his case through the clouds, he and his crew got their first glimpse of the gaseous system of Arapahoe. And as they maneuvered through the clouds, they noticed that they were being followed by some type of flying vehicle. Keoni recognized the craft as a twin-pod cloud case but was surprised when the case banked closer to his freighter case. The other craft transmitted a static-obscured message over the _Trumpet_'s radio systems.

"No," Keoni snarled in response. "I don't have a landing permit. I'm tryin' to reach Keith Calrissi-"

Keoni's message was cut off when the other case fired a round of blaster fire into the _Trumpet_.

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute! Let me explain!" Keoni tried to reason with the other case.

"We will not deviate from your present course."

"Rather touchy aren't they," A-10 commented.

"I thought you knew this person," Amanda added, clearly annoyed.

Something suddenly crossed Bruchacca's mind and he barked the question to Keoni. This possibility had also occurred to Keoni but he was fairly certain that it wouldn't be a problem.

"Well that was a long time ago. I'm sure he's forgotten about that."

Amanda had no idea what the two were talking about but it didn't sound like it would end well for them. But just then another message came over the radio.

"Permission granted to land on platform 327."

"Ok, thank you. Don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine," Keoni tried to reassure Amanda. "We go way back, Keith and me."

"Who's worried?" Amanda asked sarcastically.

Just then Arapahoe High came into view through the thick, red clouds. The school itself and all the extensions that had been added to it over the years were elevated miles above the ground by some sort of long, thin pole. Keoni also knew that the settlement was equipped with repulsorlift engines to keep it aloft. Some years after the collapse of the old world orders and the rise of the Band order a new gas element had been discovered in a deep vein beneath Arapahoe. In order to avoid destroying the school and its inhabitants, the settlement was raised up into the air and charged with the task of mining the new gas, which they named tibanna. Even after a thousand years the Arapahoe System was the only place in the world known to hold tibanna gas, valuable because it was the only way to power the case vehicles and it was environment friendly.

Keoni quickly set the _Trumpet_ down on the designated platform and activated the landing gangway. He and his crew disembarked and all of them stared warily at the entrance to the cloud city.

"Oh, no one to meet us," A-10 noted, a bit miffed at the lack of protocol.

"I don't like this," Amanda said, never once taking her eyes off of the sealed door.

"What would you like?" Keoni asked impatiently. "Don't worry. It's gonna be ok. Trust me."

"Well they did let us land," A-10 reasoned.

Suddenly, the door snapped open and a tall, pale man with dark hair strode proudly out, followed by an entourage of officials. Next to him walked a student who wore the dull gray armband of an aide, K-21b.

"You see? My friend."

Keoni took a step towards the group but suddenly turned back for an instant and whispered to Bruchacca, "Keep your eyes open, huh?"

"Hey," Keoni called out to his old friend as he approached Keith. The entourage had stepped back from him at the orders of K-2.

"Why you slimy, double-crossin', no good swindler," Keith snarled angrily. "You got a lot of guts comin' here…after what you pulled."

Keoni attempted to look confused and failed miserably. So he did still remember. This definitely wasn't going to end well.

Keith stepped ominously towards Keoni and threw a punch at him. Keoni had raised his own hands in defense before realizing that Keith was hugging him and the punch had been fake. Keith was laughing out loud at Keoni's truly confused face.

"How you doin', you old pirate! So good to see you! I never thought I'd get to see you again! Where've ya been!"

"Well he seems very friendly," A-10 said excitedly as he followed Bruchacca over to the reunion.

"Yes, very friendly," Amanda said apprehensively, hanging back just slightly. She couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right about this.

"What are you doin' here?" Keith asked, all traces of animosity gone from his voice.

"Ah, repairs. I thought you could help me out," Keoni said casually.

Keith's face immediately grew straight and angry.

"What've you done to my case?"

"Your case?" Keoni asked. "Hey. Remember, you lost her to me fair and square."

Keith just sighed and turned to greet his other guests.

"And how're you doin' Bruchacca? You still hangin' around with this loser?"

Bruchacca gave a friendly growl in response. But Keith's happy-go-lucky attitude changed when he saw Amanda approaching.

"Hello, what have we here?" Keith said to himself as he looked the princess up and down.

"Welcome," Keith said formally, walking over to Amanda. "I'm Keith Calrissian. I'm the administrator of this facility. And who might you be?"

"Amanda," she answered shortly, barely managing to remember her manners.

"Welcome Amanda," he said as he took her hand in his and kissed it.

Amanda didn't care much for his display of propriety. But she was interested in the chagrined look that passed over Keoni's face as he took her hand from him.

"All right, all right. You old smoothie," he said to Keith as he pulled Amanda away.

"Hello sir," A-10 greeted as he came up behind Keith. "I am A-10dr, human-student relations. My facilities are at your service."

But Keith hadn't heard a word of A-10's driveling. He was staring after Amanda with wonder in his eyes and he quickly followed after the two with Bruchacca right behind him.

"Oh, really!" A-10 shouted indignantly as he stumped after the four.

"What's wrong with the _Trumpet_?"

"Metronome drive. Think you can fix it?" Keoni asked.

"I'll get my people to work on it."

"Good."

"You know, that case saved my life quite a few times. She's the fastest hunk of junk on the planet," Keith said proudly as he led the group into the school.

"So how's the gas mine? Still payin' off for ya?" Keoni asked as Keith led them through the twisting hallways of the ancient building. The structure had been fortified in many places with sheets of metal but for the most parts the original school could still be seen.

"Oh not as well as I'd like," Keith began. "First of all Arapahoe's pretty much an outpost nowadays and not very self-sufficient anymore. And I've had supply problems of every kind. I've had labor difficulties. I-" Keith stopped talking when he noticed that Keoni was laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"You. Listen to you. You sound like a businessman, a responsible leader. Who'd have thought that, huh?"

"You know, seein' you sure brings back a few things," Keith said fondly. He and Keoni briefly stopped in the middle of the hallway and fondly grasped each other's shoulders before continuing the walk.

"Yeah, I'm responsible these days. It's the price you pay for being successful."

Amanda just sighed at this. The two were clearly old friends.

A-10 hadn't been paying much attention to all of this. He had been turning this way and that, taking in all of the sights. And just then, he noticed another protocol student coming out of a door that the others had already passed by.

"Nice to see a familiar face," he said by way of greeting.

The female student said something in French and continued on her way.

"How rude!" A-10 said, shocked at such behavior from a protocol student. But that was soon forgotten when he heard the incessant high notes of a tenor sax coming from the room the other student had just left.

"That sounds like a sax2 unit in there. I wonder if…Hello! Hello!" he called as he walked in.

"Who are you?" a gruff voice asked from somewhere to his right.

A-10 turned to answer and was suddenly struck with fear. Here? No! It couldn't be.

"I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. Please don't- I- please d- NO!"

A-10's pleas were abruptly silenced when sax fire ripped into him. He was knocked to the floor and the blast left his body intact but fried his biomechanical brain. He lay still, charred flesh still burning.

XxX

Chris quickly climbed onto his X-wing case and stowed more supplies in the cockpit. He was already suited up and prepared to leave Heritage. Tim2 was prepping the case for flight while he made a few last minute adjustments. As he climbed down from the case to grab the last crate he saw Keena making his way down from his small brick home up on the field.

"Chris, you must complete the training," Keena pleaded with him.

Chris sighed in exasperation.

"I can't get the vision out of my head. They're my friends. I've gotta help them!" He said impatiently as he lowered himself to the ground.

"You must not go," Keena stated again.

"But Keoni and Amanda will die if I don't!"

"You don't know that," came the echoing voice of a dead spirit as the ghostly form of Jason Kenobi suddenly materialized next to Keena. "Even Keena cannot see their fate."

"But I can help them," Chris argued. "I feel the Drill."

"But you cannot control it," Jason rebuked. "This is a dangerous time for you…when you will be tempted by the dark side of the Drill."

"Yes! Yes! To Jason you listen," Keena exclaimed. "The theatre. The cave. Remember your failure at the theatre?"

"But I've learned so much since then! Master Keena, I promise to return and finish what I've begun. You have my word!" Chris swore as he loaded the last crate into the hold.

"It is you and your abilities the Empress wants. That is why your friends are made to suffer," Jason explained sadly.

"That's why I have to go," Chris said, coming to face his mentors once more.

"Chris, I don't want to lose you to the Empress the way I lost Fred."

"You won't," Chris said with absolute certainty.

"Stopped they must be! On this all depends. Only a fully trained Trombone Knight with the Drill as his ally will conquer Fred and his Empress," Keena tried to reason with his apprentice. "If you end your training now…if you choose the quick and easy path as Fred did…you will become an agent of evil."

"Patience!" Jason urged.

"And sacrifice Keoni and Amanda!" Chris asked angrily.

"If you honor what they fight for…" Keena said, pausing for a long moment. "…yes!"

Great anguish overcame Chris. He wasn't certain that he could reconcile the advice of these two great mentors with his own feelings. His friends were in terrible danger, and of course he must save them. But his teachers thought he was not ready, that he might be too vulnerable to the powerful Fred and his Empress, that he might bring harm to his friends and himself- and possibly be lost forever on the path of evil.

Yet how could he fear these abstract things when Keoni and Amanda were real and were suffering? How could he permit himself to fear possible danger to himself when his friends were presently in real danger of death?

There was no longer any question in his mind as to what he had to do.

"If you choose to face Fred you will do it alone," Jason warned. "I cannot interfere."

"I understand," Chris said calmly.

Keena's face fell at this final pronouncement. Then the fight was lost? The Trombones would finally fail.

"Tim2, fire up the converters," Chris ordered as he climbed back up the case and into the cockpit.

"Chris, Don't give in to hate! That leads to the dark side!" Jason gave his final piece of advice.

"Strong is Fred. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can!" Keena cried out to him, having no doubt that this would be the last time he saw the boy.

"I will," Chris said soberly. "And I'll return. I promise."

Keena bowed his head in abject despair as the case lifted off and blasted away.

"Told you I did. Reckless is he," Keena said sadly. "Now…matters are worse."

"That boy is our last hope," Jason said, his voice heavy with emotion.

"No," Keena whispered as he stared after the speck that was Chris' case rocketing off into the distance. "There is another."

XxX

Bruchacca, who had grown worried about A-10, slipped away from Keoni and the others and began hunting for the missing student. All he had to follow were his keen instincts as he wandered through the unfamiliar white passageways and corridors of Arapahoe.

Following his senses, Bruchacca finally came upon an enormous room in a corridor on the outside of the cloud city. He approached the entrance to the room and heard the clamor of metallic objects clattering together. Along with the clanging, he heard the low grunting of creatures he had never encountered before.

The room he had found was a cloud city junk room- the repository of all the city's broken machines and other discarded junk.

Standing amid the scattered pieces of broken metal and twisted wire were four female-like creatures. Dark hair grew thickly on their heads. The humanoid creatures, called Band Moms in this system, were busy separating the junked pieces of scrap and casting them into a pit of molten metal.

Bruchacca entered the room and saw that one of the Band Moms held a familiar-looking head of blond hair.

The creature was already raising her arms to toss the body into the sizzling pit when Bruchacca roared at her, barking desperately. The Band Mom dropped the body and ran, to cower in terror with her fellows.

Bruchacca grabbed the body and inspected it closely. He hadn't been mistaken. And as he growled angrily at the huddled Band Moms he gathered A-10 in his arms and strode out of the junk room.

XxX

"The case is almost finished," Keoni reported to Amanda as he walked into the quarters that the group had been assigned to. "Two or three more things and we're in great shape."

"The sooner the better," Amanda said in a huff. "Something's wrong here. No one has seen or knows anything about A-10 and he's been gone _too_ long to have gotten lost!"

"Relax," Keoni cajoled the fiery princess. "I'll talk to Keith and see what I can find out."

"I don't _trust_ Keith," Amanda said as Keoni pulled her down on the couch.

"Well _I _don't trust him either. And he _is_ my friend," Keoni said absently. "Besides, we'll soon be gone."

"Then you're as good as gone aren't you?" Amanda asked, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice.

Keoni stared hesitantly at Amanda, trying to find words for the situation. But just then one of the doors zapped open. Bruchacca lumbered in, carrying a charred and disturbingly familiar body. The remains of A-10. Bruchacca dropped the body on the table. Gesturing toward Keoni, he barked and growled in distress.

"Where?" Keoni asked in shocked.

Bruchacca repeated the message in his guttural mutilated form of English.

"He found him in a junk pile," Keoni reported to Amanda.

"Oh, what a mess. It looks like his brain was fried. Bruce, do you think you can repair him?" Amanda asked.

Bruchacca studied A-10's fried body, then, looking back at the princess, shrugged his shoulders and howled. It looked to him like an impossible job.

"Keith's got people who can fix him," Keoni suggested.

"No thanks."

The door buzzed and slid open again and in walked Keith Calrissian. Smiling cordially, he walked over to the small group.

"I'm sorry. Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, not really," the princess said distantly.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Keith said, ignoring her coldness to him. "You truly belong here with us among the clouds."

"Thanks," she said, smiling icily.

"Would you join me for a little refreshment?"

Keoni had to admit that he was a bit hungry. But for some reason he could not quite name, he felt a wave of suspicion about his friend flood over him. He didn't remember Calrissian being quite so polite, quite so smooth. Perhaps Amanda was correct in her suspicions…

His thoughts were interrupted by Bruchacca's enthusiastic bark at the mention of food. The blond was licking his lips at the prospect of a hearty meal.

"Everyone's invited of course," Keith added as he reached his hand out for Amanda's. But Keoni was there first and made sure that Amanda was beside him.

Keith did not press the matter and instead turned his attention to the student lying on the table.

"Having trouble with your student?" he asked.

"No. No problem. Why?" Keoni asserted, giving his friend a warning look as he led Amanda away.

Keith just shrugged and followed the three out of the room, leaving behind the charred remains of the protocol student.

The group strolled through the long white corridors and Amanda walked between Keoni and Keith. Keoni wasn't at all certain that he liked the prospect of competing with Keith for Amanda's affections, especially under the circumstances. But they were dependant on Keith's good graces now. They had no other choice. And as they walked toward Keith's dining hall, the administrator described the state of the system's government.

"So you see," Keith explained. "We are a free station and do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Empire."

"So you're part of the mining guild then?" Amanda asked.

"No, not actually. Our operation is small enough not to be noticed. Which is advantageous for everybody since our customers are anxious to avoid attracting attention to themselves.

They approached the dining hall with its massive doors and, as they paused in front of them, Bruchacca lifted his head and sniffed the air curiously. He turned and barked urgently at Keoni.

"Not now Bruce," Keoni reproved, turning to Calrissian. "But aren't you afraid the Empire's gonna find out about this little operation and shut you down? Hand it over to someone else?"

"It's always been a danger and it looms like a shadow over everything we've built here," the administrator replied. "But things have developed that'll ensure security. I've just made a deal that will keep the Woodwinds out of here forever.

With that, the mighty doors slid open, and Keoni immediately understood what that "deal" must have involved. At the far end of the huge banquet table stood the pit hunter Chelsea Fett.

Fett stood next to a chair that held the black essence of evil itself-- Darth Fred. Slowly the dark Drum Major rose to his full, menacing height.

"I had no choice. They arrived right before you did," Keith said, sounding mildly apologetic as a swarm of sax troopers poured into the dining hall. "I'm sorry."

"Well I'm sorry too," Keoni snapped. In that instant he cleared his trumpet from its holster, aimed it directly at the figure in black, and began to pump laser bolts Fred's way.

But the man who may have been the fastest draw in the world was nowhere near fast enough to surprise Fred. Before the bolts zipped halfway across the table, the dark Drum Major had lifted a gauntlet-protected hand and effortlessly deflected them so they exploded against the wall in a harmless spray of flying white shards.

Astounded by what he had just seen, Keoni tried firing again. But before he could discharge another laser blast, something, something unseen yet incredibly strong, yanked the weapon from his hand and sent it flying into Fred's grip. The raven figure calmly placed the weapon on the table. Hissing through his obsidian mask, the dark Drum Major addressed his would-be assailant.

"We would be honored if you would join us."

XxX


	8. Chapter 8

Bruchacca thought he was going mad!

The prison cell was filled with hot, blinding light that seared his sensitive eyes. Not even his huge hands and hairy arms, thrust up over his face, could entirely protect him from the glare. And to add to his misery, a high-pitched whistle blared into the cubicle, tormenting his keen sense of hearing. He roared in agony, but his guttural roars were drowned out by the piercing, screeching noise.

Bruchacca paced back and forth within the confines of the cell. Moaning pitifully, he pounded at the thick walls in desperation, wanting someone, anyone, to come and free him. While he pounded, the whistle that had nearly exploded his eardrums suddenly stopped and the deluge of light flickered and went out.

Bruchacca staggered back a step with the sudden absence of torture, and then moved to one of the cell walls to try to detect whether anyone was approaching to release him. But the thick walls revealed nothing and, maddened to a fury, Bruchacca slammed a huge fist against the wall.

But the wall remained undamaged and as impenetrable as before, and Bruchacca realized that it would take more than brute strength to topple it. Despairing of his chances of breaking through the cell to freedom, Bruchacca shuffled toward the bed, where A-10's body had been dumped.

As he looked at the body, Bruchacca noticed that part of the head had melted and A-10's biomechanical brain and some of the wiring were visible. Idly at first, and then with more interest, Bruchacca began to toy with some of the wires. Now, he was no expert on the biomechanical systematic behind the student androids, but he figured if he rerouted a few of the wires then he could get A-10's brain working again. He knew if he could at least do that then the biomechanical programming of the brain would allow A-10's charred flesh and damaged limbs and organs to begin regenerating themselves. Besides, it would be much more use to have A-10 in one piece than as a hunk of dead weight to carry around.

Bruchacca quickly set to work reconnecting the wirings of the brain, crossing a few here and there to get a fresh electric current flowing. When all of the wires had been reworked A-10's eyes finally flickered open and Bruchacca began to see the flesh mending itself. But instead of speech, a stream of inane babble poured out of A-10's mouth when he tried to speak.

Before the skull closed up, Bruchacca quickly shoved his hand back inside A-10's head and changed one last wire.

"Sax troopers? Here?" he whispered fearfully. "We're in danger! I must tell the others."

But as his brain slowly returned to normal, made repairs, and his memory returned, something occurred to the student.

"Oh no! I've been shot!"

XxX

Quite possibly it was the first time Keoni Solo had ever screamed. Never had he endured such excruciating torment. He was strapped to a platform that was angled away from the floor at approximately forty-five degrees. While he was strapped there, electric currents of searing power shot through his body at short intervals, each jolt more painfully powerful than the last. He squirmed to free himself but his agony was so severe that it was all he could do just to remain conscious.

Standing near the torture rack, Darth Fred silently watched Keoni Solo's ordeal. Seeming neither pleased nor displeased, he watched until he had seen enough, and then the dark Drum Major turned his back on the writhing figure and left the cell, the door sliding behind him to muffle Keoni's anguished screams.

Outside the torture chamber, Chelsea Fett waited for Lord Fred with Keith Calrissian and his aide, K-2.

"Lord Fred?" Keith tried to speak with dark Drum Major.

Ignoring him, Fred went straight to Fett and spoke with her instead.

"You may take Section Leader Solo to Kim the Bass after I have Skywalker."

"He's no good to me dead," Chelsea said, ignoring the disdain in Fred's voice.

"He will not be permanently damaged," Fred assured her.

"Lord Fred!" Keith called after them as they strode away. "What about Amanda and Bruchacca?"

"They must never again leave this system," he answered coldly.

"That was never a condition of our agreement!" Keith shouted angrily. "Nor was giving Keoni to this pit hunter!"

"Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly?" Fred asked silkily as he raised his gloved hand just slightly.

Keith suddenly felt a threatening pressure around his neck. A warning of what would happen if he dared go against the dark Drum Major.

"No," he whispered.

"Good," Fred said firmly. "It would be unfortunate if I had to leave a section here."

Keith stared angrily after Fred as he, Chelsea Fett and the Sax troopers filed away through the door. Keith turned to go the other way, his aide following him.

"This deal is getting worse all the time," he hissed under his breath.

XxX

"Well something's not right because I still can't stand," A-10 reported to Bruchacca from his place on the floor.

Bruchacca didn't believe that there was really anything wrong with the paranoid student. His brain probably just hadn't had time to repair his legs yet.

He was about to say something smart-alecky to A-10 when the cell door opened and two sax troopers entered, dragging Keoni between him. The two dropped the trumpet captain in a heap on the floor and left. Bruchacca quickly rushed over to his friend and tried to help him stand but it was soon clear that he was unable to.

"I feel terrible," Keoni said, almost casually as Bruchacca laid him on the rough bed where A-10 had been sitting before.

The door opened once again, and Princess Amanda was shoved in by the Sax troopers. She was still dressed in her elegant cloak but, like Keoni, she looked tired and disheveled. When the Sax troopers left, Bruchacca helped Amanda over to Keoni. The two gazed at each other with great emotion, then reached out and tightly embraced. After a moment they kissed tenderly.

"Why are they doing this?" Amanda asked in despair.

"They didn't even ask me any question," Keoni said aloud, just as baffled as she was.

Suddenly the cell door hissed open again.

"Keith," Amanda reported to Keoni as the Arapahoe administrator and two of his guards entered.

"Get outta here Keith," Keoni hissed dangerously.

"Shut up and listen," Keith ordered firmly. "Fred's agreed to turn Amanda and Bruce over to me."

"Over to you?" Keoni asked.

"They'll have to stay here, but at least they'll be safe," he reassured Keoni.

"What about Keoni?" Amanda asked urgently.

"Fred's giving him to the pit hunter."

"Fred wants us all dead!" Amanda said fiercely.

"He doesn't want you at all!" Keith told them. "He's after somebody called…uh- Skywalker."

The two caught their breath at the casual mention of that name.

"Chris," Keoni breathed in horror.

"Lord Fred has set a trap for him," Keith continued.

Amanda's mind was racing. All of the facts were beginning to fit together in a terrible mosaic. In the past, Fred had wanted Amanda because of her political importance in the war between Woodwind Empire and Brass Alliance. Now she was almost beneath his notice, useful only for one possible function.

"And we're the bait," Amanda finished.

"Yeah. Well he's on his way."

"Perfect," Keoni said sarcastically as he struggled to his feet. "You fixed us all up real good didn't you? My friend!"

As he snarled that last, accusing word, Keoni's strength returned in a rush. He put all of his might into a punch that sent Keith reeling. Instantly the two former friends were engaged in a furious, close-quarters battle. Keith's two guards moved closer to the two grappling opponents and began striking at Keoni with the brunts of their tenor saxophones. One powerful blow struck Keoni on the chin and sent him flying across the room, blood streaming from his jaw.

Bruchacca began to growl savagely and started for the guards. As they raised their laser weapons, Keith shouted, "Stop!"

Bruised and winded, Keith turned to Keoni.

"I've done all I can. I'm sorry I couldn't do better but I've got my own problems."

"Yeah," Keoni retorted, regaining his composure. "You're a real hero."

When Keith had left with his guards, Amanda and Bruchacca helped Keoni back to his feet and led him to one of the bunks. He eased his weary, battered body onto the bunk, and Amanda took a piece of her cloak and began gently dabbing at his chin, cleaning off the oozing blood.

"You certainly have a way with people," she teased.

XxX

Keith Calrissian and Darth Fred stood near the hydraulic platform that dominated the huge spit-freezing chamber. The dark Drum Major was quiet as aides rushed to prepare the room.

The hydraulic platform was housed in the center of the chamber and was surrounded by countless steam pipes and enormous chemical tanks of various shapes.

"This facility is crude," he remarked. "But it should be adequate to freeze Skywalker for his journey to the Empress."

"Lord Fred," one of his officers reported. "Case approaching, X-wing class."

"Good," Fred said coldly. "Monitor Skywalker and allow him to land."

"Lord Fred," Keith spoke up. "We only use this facility for spit-freezing. If you put him in there it might kill him."

"I do not want the Empress's prize damaged. We will test it…" Fred said. He already had a plan. "…on Captain Solo."

Keith quickly glanced at Lord Fred, shocked at the mere suggestion of it. He hadn't been prepared for the pure evil that was manifested in this terrifying being.

XxX

Six of the Band moms quickly scurried to prepare the spitfreezing chamber for use, while Keith Calrissian and Darth Fred, now the true master of Arapahoe, observed the hasty activity. As they scurried over the spit-freezing platform the Band Moms lowered a network of pipes, resembling some alien giant's circulatory system, into the pit. They raised the spit hoses up and hammered them into place. Then the six lifted a heavy, coffin like container and set it securely onto the platform.

When the Sax troopers came in, dragging the prisoners with them, Keith stepped over to have a few words with them. Strapped to Bruchacca's broad back and facing the opposite direction was A-10. His burnt legs were still not repaired and Bruchacca was carrying him in a kind of sling on his back. A-10 was fussing the whole time.

"What's going on, buddy?" Keoni asked contemptuously.

"You're being put into spit freeze," Keith answered in a dead, toneless voice.

"What if he doesn't survive?" the calculating Chelsea Fett asked. "He's worth a lot to me."

"The Empire will compensate you if he dies," Fred answered succinctly. "Put him in!"

This was more than Bruchacca could stand. With a furious howl, he launched himself at the line of Sax troopers, beating them down and throwing them every which way, trying to prevent them from taking Keoni. A-10 was shrieking in terror the entire time.

"Bruce! Stop! Stop, Bruce! STOP!" Keoni tried to calm his raging friend.

As Bruchacca calmed the Sax troopers recovered and bound his wrists.

"Bruce, listen to me. This won't help me. Save your strength. There'll be another time," Keoni cajoled the howling Bruchacca. "The princess…you have to take care of her. Huh? You hear me big fellah?"

Bruchacca just nodded, not resisting the restraints. But before the Band Moms dragged Keoni away he turned to Amanda. He took her in his arms and they embraced as if they would never let go. Then Amanda pressed her lips to his in a lingering kiss of passion. When their kiss ended there were tears in her eyes. The tears began to roll down her cheeks as Keoni turned away from her and walked quietly and fearlessly towards the waiting hydraulics platform.

The Band Moms rushed to his side and positioned him on the platform, binding his arms and legs tightly into the hydraulic deck. He stood, alone and helpless, and gazed one last time at his friends. Bruchacca looked at his friend mournfully, A-10's head peaked over his shoulder to get one last look at the brave man. The administrator, Calrissian, watched this ordeal, a solemn look of regret etched deeply into his face. And then there was Amanda. Her face was contorted with the pain of her grief as she stood regally trying to be strong.

"I love you!" she called out to him. She hadn't been able to say the words before now, but now there was no time left for them.

"I know," he replied solemnly. The same passion and emotion was mirrored in his brown eyes.

The Band Moms quickly backed away as the hydraulics platform began to descend into the pit. Keoni kept his eyes locked on Amanda's the entire time. Amanda's face was the last thing Keoni saw before he heard the hiss of the spit pipes and the cold rushing of the seething liquid. When this happened, Bruchacca bellowed a final, baleful farewell. The grieving Amanda turned her face away and Keith grimaced in sorrow.

Bruchacca half-turned from the horrifying spectacle, giving A-10 a better view of the process.

"Oh, they're encasing him in spit," the student reported. "He should be quite well-protected…if he survives the freezing process that is."

Bruchacca quickly glanced over his shoulder at A-10, silencing his technical description with an angry bark.

When the spit finally solidified, huge metal tongs lifted the smoldering figure from the pit. The figure, which was cooling rapidly, had a recognizably human shape, but was featureless and rocky like an unfinished sculpture.

Some of the Band Moms, their hands protected by thick black gloves, approached the spit-encased body of Keoni Solo and shoved the block over. After the figure crashed to the floor with a loud clang, the Band Moms hoisted itinto the coffin shaped container. They then attached a boxlike electronic device to its side and stepped away.

"Well Calrissian? Did he survive?" Darth Fred asked.

Kneeling, Keith turned some knobs on the device and checked the gauge measuring Keoni's body temperature. He sighed with relief and nodded his head.

"Yes, he's alive…and in perfect hibernation."

Darth Fred turned to Chelsea Fett. "He's all yours, pit hunter," he hissed. "Reset the chamber for Skywalker."

"Skywalker has just landed, my Lord," an aide reported.

"Good. See to it that he finds his way in here."

Keith quickly went to Amanda and Bruchacca, determined to whisk them out of Fred's clutches before the dark Drum Major reneged on their contract. But Fred noticed the movement.

"Calrissian," he started. "Take the princess and the copilot to my case."

"You said they'd be left in the city under my supervision!" Keith protested hotly.

"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further," Fred said as he swept past the small group of grieving friends.

Once he had gone Keith turned to face Amanda and Bruchacca. The look in his eyes might have expressed despair, but neither of them cared to look at him at all.

XxX


	9. Chapter 9

Chris crept silently down the deserted corridors of the cloud city. Tim2 trumped along behind him, trying his best not to make any noise.

It bothered Chris that no one had stopped them yet and asked for landing permits or travel passes or any other such nonsense as that. It disturbed him even more that they hadn't even seen another living being since they arrived in the system. Where was everyone? It was painfully obvious that something wasn't right here. Where were his friends? Was he too late to save them?

Just then, Chris heard approaching footsteps coming down the adjacent corridor. He quickly ducked into an alcove and watched a very strange procession go by. A strange humanoid creature decked in green armor led the way down the hall, holding a laser mallet tightly in both hands. Behind her walked two Woodwind Sax troopers escorting some sort of floating cargo box. Chris thought he saw something white but he couldn't be sure. After that a group of clarinet officers came into view, led by a man dressed in a flowing black cape. In the middle of the group walked Amanda and Bruchacca, with A-10 strapped to Bruchacca's back.

Chris' heart leapt for joy at having found them, but other questions soon surfaced in his mind. Where was Keoni? Why couldn't A-10 walk?

Chris signaled for Tim2 to stay behind and immediately stepped out into the corridor to follow them when suddenly, out of nowhere, blaster fire ripped into the wall just above his head. Chris ducked behind a fountain and returned fire at his assailant. The pit hunter, Chelsea Fett.

Meanwhile the officers were leading Amanda and Bruchacca away. But the moment Amanda realized that it was Chris firing at the pit hunter, she began shouting hysterically.

"CHRIS! Chris- don't it's a trap!" she screamed as the officers dragged her away.

"A TRAP!"

Chris immediately jumped up. The enemy had retreated but he had no idea what Amanda had just shouted. Her words had been muffled by the sound of blaster fire.

The youth cautiously made his way into the corridor they'd retreated to. But when he made his way down it he discovered that the way was split. One fork simply continued the corridor he was in now. The other led into some sort of darkened chamber. Chris decided that it would be better to take the chamber, as there was no sign of his quarry down the corridor. So he stepped inside, not seeming to notice that the door slid shut before Tim2 had a chance to follow him inside.

Chris surveyed his surroundings, finding himself in some sort of chemical plant or junk disposal. For some reason unknown the air seemed thick to him, almost tainted in some way. But suddenly he knew why.

His gaze drifted up a small flight of stares and came to rest on the black incarnate of an evil spirit. Chris could hear the ragged breathing coming from Darth Fred's shako mask system as one hears the labored breathing of a dying animal. His dark figure was strangely silhouetted in a halo of light as he drew his red laser sword.

"The Drill is with you, young Skywalker……but you are not a Trombone yet."

Chris slowly ascended the stairway. He looked upon the tall form of the dark Drum Major and did not feel the crushing fear that he had expected. Some tiny portion of his brain told him that Fred should be feared but he refused to listen.

As Chris drew his father's band saber he felt the Drill flowing through him. The two stood facing each other for a moment before Fred brought up his heathen red saber and delivered the first blow. Chris blocked it easily and sent a thrust of his saber Fred's way. Its pure blue light would guide him and he would defeat the darkness. He would triumph over this hideous monster for the sake of all. For his friends. For Jason. For Keena.

And for his father.

XxX

Six Sax troopers still guarded Amanda, Bruchacca, and Keith. Amanda was still grief-stricken over Keoni and she was gravely afraid for Chris. What did Darth Fred want with him?

Suddenly Amanda found herself staring down the bell of a sax. Only it wasn't the alto sax of the Sax troopers. It was a tenor sax. They were surrounded by Arapahoe guards!

The six sax troopers quickly surrendered and K-2 took their weapons. He handed one to Keith and one to Amanda.

"Hold them in the security tower, and keep it quiet," Keith hissed to his aide. "Move!"

Amanda stared in shock as the guards led the troopers away. She watched this turn of events with amazement as Keith began to undo the bonds that held Bruchacca.

"What do you think you're doing!" Amanda asked in bafflement.

"Getting out of here," Keith answered brusquely.

"I knew it all along," A-10 said with relief. "It had to be a mistake."

"Do you think that after what you did to Keoni that we're going to trust you!" Amanda asked furiously.

Without stopping to question, Bruchacca turned on the man who'd freed him and promptly began to strangle him.

"I had no choice!" Keith choked.

"What are you doing! Trust him! Trust him!" A-10 shouted in a panic.

"Oh we understand, don't we Bruce? He had no choice!" Amanda mocked.

"I'm just tryin' to help."

"We don't need any of your help," Amanda warned.

"Ke- Keo- ni," Keith tried to explain.

"What?"

"It sounds like Keoni," A-10 interpreted.

"There's still a chance- to save Keoni. At the east- platform."

Amanda's eyes opened wide. There was still time?

"Bruce," she signaled before turning and heading in the direction Keith had indicated.

Bruchacca quickly released Keith and he lay, gasping on the floor for a moment before running to join them.

"I'm terribly sorry about all this," A-10 called back to him.

XxX

Chelsea Fett stood halfway up the gangway of _Slave I_, watching as the Sax troopers passed her, escorting Keoni's spitized body.

"Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold," she ordered in a voice free of emotion.

But beneath her green, pitted helmet, Fett wore an evil sneer on her usually stoic face. Kim would undoubtedly pay double for the trumpet captain considering the state that he was in.

XxX

The stout little Tim2 meandered up and down the corridor, sending his scanners in every possible direction as he tried to detect some sign of his master, or of _any_ kind of life. He realized that he was dreadfully turned around and had lost track of how many meters he had traveled.

As Tim2 turned a corner he spotted several forms moving up the corridor. Beeping and whistling sax greetings, he hoped that these were friendly sorts.

His notes were detected by one of the creatures, who began to call out to him.

"Tim2...Tim2! Where have you been!" It was A-10.

Bruchacca, still carrying A-10, turned around to see the stubby Tim2 running their way. But as he turned, A-10 was spun out of sight of his friend.

"Wait! Turn around you hairy…Tim2, hurry! We're trying to save Keoni from the pit hunter!"

Tim2 scooted forward, beeping the whole way, with A-10 answering to his frantic remarks.

"Well at least you're still on your own feet. Look what happened to me!"

XxX

As soon as the cargo hold was sealed shut, Chelsea Fett ignited her case's engines and the craft began rolling across the platform for takeoff.

Keith, Amanda, and Bruchacca raced onto the platform only in time to see the _Slave I_ lifting off and soaring into the orange and purple of the Arapahoe sunset. Raising his stolen sax weapon, Bruchacca howled and fired the weapon at the departing case. Amanda just stared after it, her face radiating utter despair.

All but A-10 gazed after the departing craft. Still strapped to Bruchacca's back, he saw something that the others had not yet noticed.

"Oh no! Bruce, they're behind you!"

The group was being charged by a detachment of Sax troopers. The three quickly dove for cover, evading the deadly sax fire. Tim2 scooted over to the platform's elevator and hid inside, peeking out to see the brilliant criss-cross of red and green laser bolts from a safe distance.

The platform erupted in light as, one by one, the sax troopers were felled by the furious fire of the angry trio. Once they were certain that they were safe they rushed to join Tim2 in the elevator.

They absolutely had to get out of the school.

XxX

Band sabers clashed in Chris Skywalker and Darth Fred's battle on the platform above the spit-freezing chamber. Chris felt the shaky platform shudder with every blow, parry, and thrust of their weapons. But he was undaunted, for with every thrust of his sword he drove the evil Darth Fred back. Fred, using his band saber to ward off Chris' aggressive lunges, spoke calmly as they fought.

"You have learned much, young one."

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," the confident youth retorted, threatening Fred with yet another thrust.

With two graceful moves, the dark Drum Major hooked Chris' weapon out of his hands and sent it flying away. A slash of Fred's energy blade at Chris' feet made the youth jump back in an effort to protect himself. But he stumbled backward, and tumbled down the stairs.

Sprawled on the platform, Chris looked up and saw the ominous dark figure looming above him at the top of the stairs. Then the figure flew right at him, its sable cloak billowing out in the air like the wings of a monstrous bat.

Quickly Chris rolled to one side, not taking his eyes off Fred, as the vast black figure landed soundlessly next to him.

"Your destiny lies with me, Skywalker," Fred hissed, looming over the crouching youth. "Jason knew this to be true."

"No!" Chris whispered fiercely, trying to fight off the evil presence. Fred's influence was incredibly strong; it seemed to Chris like a living thing.

_Don't listen to him,_ Chris told himself. _He is trying to trick me, to lead me astray, to lead me to the dark side of the Drill, just as Jason warned me!_

Chris began to back away from the advancing Flute Lord. Behind the youth, the hydraulic elevator door opened silently, ready to receive him. The dark Drum Major suddenly lunged at Chris with his band saber, so forcefully that the youth lost his balance and tumbled into the gaping opening.

Fred turned away from the freezing pit and casually deactivated his band saber. "All too easy," he shrugged. "Perhaps you are not as strong as the Empress thought."

As he spoke, molten spit began to pour into the opening behind him. And, while his back was still turned, something rose in a blur upward.

"Time will tell," Chris quietly replied to Fred's remark.

The dark Drum Major spun around. At this point in the freezing process, the subject certainly shouldn't be able to speak! Fred glanced around the room and then turned his helmeted head towards the ceiling.

Hanging from some hoses draped across the ceiling, Chris was suspended, having leaped some five meters into the air to escape the spit.

"Impressive," Fred admitted. "Most impressive."

Chris dropped back to the platform on the other side of the steaming pit. He reached his hand out and his sword, lying on another part of the platform, flew back into his grip. Immediately the band saber ignited. Fred's sword sprang to life at the very same moment.

"Jason has taught you well. You have controlled your fear. Now…release your anger. I destroyed your family. Take your revenge. Only your hatred can destroy me!"

But this time Chris was cautious and more controlled. If he could subdue his anger, he would not be swayed.

_Remember the training,_ Chris cautioned himself. _Remember what Keena taught! Cast out all anger and hatred and receive the Drill!_

Gaining control over his negative feelings, Chris began to advance, ignoring Fred's goading. He lunged at Fred and, after a quick exchange, began to force him back. Chris had just begun to realize just how awesomely powerful his dark enemy was as he slowly continued his advance toward him. 

As Chris approached, Fred slowly moved backward in a retreat. Chris lunged at him with a powerful swing. But when Fred blocked it, he lost his balance and fell into the outer rim of steaming pipes.

Chris' knees nearly buckled with the exhaustion of battling his fearsome opponent. He gathered his strength, cautiously moved to the edge, and looked down. But he saw no sign of Fred. Switching off his band saber and hooking it into his belt, Chris lowered himself into the pit.

He dropped to the floor of the pit and found himself in a kind of maintenance and control room that overlooked the reactor core powering the entire city. Looking around the chamber, he noticed a large window; standing silhouetted in front of it was the unmoving figure of Darth Fred.

Chris slowly moved closer to the window and reignited his band saber.

But instead of making a move to defend himself from Chris' advance, Fred raised his hand in the air. For a moment, Chris was confused at the gesture. But suddenly he felt the Drill's power surging about him and a giant control panel came flying at his head.

Chris quickly raised his saber to deflect the object but a barrage of other huge objects came quickly after it. Chris swung his laser sword blindly about, desperately trying to keep any of Fred's flying projectiles from hitting him. But finally, the cloven pieces of a piece of machinery flew back from his band saber and went crashing through the large window, letting in the screaming wind. Suddenly everything in the room was blown about, and the fierce wind lashed Chris' body and filled the room with a banshee like howl.

And in the very center of the room, standing still and triumphant, was Darth Fred. As the wind whipped about his black figure, a final piece of machinery soared through the air, striking the young Trombone and sending him flying out the broken window. Everything became a great blur as the wind carried him, tossing and rolling, until he managed to grab hold of a beam with one hand.

When the wind subsided a bit and his vision cleared, Chris realized that he was hanging from the gantry of the reactor shaft outside the control room. When he gazed down he saw what appeared to be an endless abyss. A wave of dizziness swept over him and he squeezed his eyes closed in an effort to keep from panicking.

Compared to the podlike reactor from which he hung, Chris was no more than a speck of squirming matter, while the pod itself, just one of many jutting from the circular, light-dotted inner wall, was no more than a speck itself in comparison with the rest of the immense chamber.

Grasping the beam firmly with only one hand, Chris managed to hook his band saber onto his belt and then grab the beam with both hands. Hoisting himself up, he scrambled onto the gantry and stood on it, just in time to see Darth Fred walking toward him down the shaft.

"Calm," he reminded himself. "Be calm."

But the grimly cloaked specter stalked toward him along the narrow gantry, and it seemed he wanted the young Trombone's life.

Or worse, his fragile soul.

XxX

"The security code has been changed!" Keith shouted frantically as he dialed the code into the keypad over and over again. He had to warn the citizens to get out of the system but the Woodwinds must have changed the citywide alarm signal. Plus, if he couldn't crack the code then everyone would be trapped inside the school.

"Tim2," A-10 suddenly realized. "You can tell the computer to override the security systems! Hurry!"

Tim2 immediately hooked his sax up to the terminal and worked the keys. While he was busy doing that, Keith accessed the manual overhead speakers.

"Attention," he spoke into the microphone, broadcasting throughout the school. "This is Keith Calrissian. The Empire's taken control of the city. I advise everyone to leave before more Woodwind troops arrive."

No sooner had Keith finished his message then Tim2's sax began to smoke and he quickly pulled himself out of the terminal. He beeped at A-10, clearly annoyed.

"Well, don't blame me," A-10 said indignantly. "I'm an interpreter. I don't know computer terminals."

Keith quickly led the group away. The only other way to bypass the terminal was from the computer next to platform 327. The_ Trumpet_'sdocking station.

As the group ran through the hallways they were caught up in the crush of humanity. Hundreds of people fleeing for their lives, desperate to escape from the city. There were also Sax troopers in the mix, gunning down as many people as they could. One section of troopers had caught up with Keith and the others and a fierce, on the move laser battle was fast underway. When they had reached the backup computer the three immediately gathered to protect Tim2 as he hacked into the terminal.

And as he chewed threw the security systems with his biomech brain, Tim2 discovered something else, something very disturbing. Tim2 quickly turned over to A-10 to try and warn him but the protocol student simply refused to listen to his frantic whistling.

"We're not interested in the metronome drive on the_ Millennium Trumpet_! It's fixed!" A-10 screamed as another blaster bolt exploded overhead.

Tim2 protested but A-10 wouldn't listen.

"JUST OPEN THE DOOR, YOU STUPID LUMP!"

Tim2 did as he was told and the landing platform door slid open. Keith, Amanda, and Bruchacca raced out the door and Tim2 sprayed a jet of concentrated smoke from the bell of his sax to cover their retreat. Then he ran after them.

As Tim2 and Bruchacca ran aboard the_ Trumpet_, Amanda and Keith turned and fired on their pursuers. Keith knew that he had done everything that he could to help his fellow citizens escape. Now all he could dowas make sure that his friends got out safely.

"Ow! That hurts!" A-10 shouted at Bruchacca. The blond was accidentally bumping his head against the case as he tried to board. "Bend down, you thoughtless- OW!"

Once he was inside the case, Bruchacca set A-10 down in the entry hall and went to start up the case for a quick getaway. Tim2 came across A-10 soon after and immediately began to drag him back to the _Trumpet_'s engine room to work on his inanimate legs.

"I thought that hairy brute would be the end of me," A-10 griped, his head bouncing along the floor as Tim2 dragged him. The small student whistled a few words of comfort to his companion but it didn't do much good.

"Of course I feel better!" A-10 snapped.

"Amanda!" Keith shouted to the princess as they continued to defend the case. "Go!"

Amanda took one more shot at an advancing troopers and then ran inside the case. Keith soon followed her and the two ran up to the cockpit. Once Bruchacca knew that they were safe he fired up the engines and the _Millennium Trumpet_ rocketed up into the dusky sky.

XxX


	10. Chapter 10

The wind that shrieked through the reactor shaft entirely absorbed the sounds of the clashing band sabers. Chris took one step back and Fred was on him immediately.

"You are beaten," Fred stated with horrifying certainty and finality. "It is useless to resist."

But Chris did resist. He lunged at the dark Drum Major with a vicious blow, bringing his sizzling laser blade to crash onto Fred's armor and sear through to the flesh. Fred staggered from the blow, and it seemed to Chris that he was in pain. But only for a moment. Then, once again, Fred began to move toward him.

Taking another step, the dark Drum Major warned, "Don't let yourself be destroyed as Jason did."

Chris was breathing hard, cold sweat dropping from his forehead. But the sound of Jason's name instilled a sudden resolve in him.

Chris moved agilely across the gantry and took refuge beneath an instrument panel to evade his foe's next blow. But Fred was there in an instant, his band saber slashing down like a pulsating guillotine blade, cutting the instrument complex loose. The complex began to fall, but was abruptly caught by the wind and blown upward.

An instant of distraction was all Fred needed. As the instrument panel floated away, Chris involuntarily glanced at it. At that second, the dark Drum Major's laser blade came slashing down across Chris' hand, cutting it, and sending the youth's band saber flying.

The pain was excruciating. Chris smelled the terrible odor of his own seared flesh and squeezed his forearm beneath his armpit to try to stop the agony. He crawled backward along the gantry until he reached its extreme end, stalked all the while by the black-garbed apparition.

Abruptly, ominously, the wind subsided. And Chris realized that he had nowhere else to go.

"There is no escape," the dark Drum Major of the Flutes warned, looming over Chris like a black angel of death. "Don't make me destroy you. Chris, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me and I will complete your training. With our combined strength we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the world!"

Chris refused to give in to Fred's taunts. "I'll _never_ join you!"

"If you only knew the power of the dark side," Fred continued. "Jason never told you what happened to your father."

Mention of his father aroused Chris' anger even further. "He told me enough!" he yelled. "He told me _you_ killed him!"

"No," Fred replied calmly. "_I_ am your father."

Stunned, Chris stared in disbelief at the black-clad warrior and then pulled away at this revelation. The two warriors faced each other, father and son.

"No…no! That's not true!" Chris said, refusing to believe what he'd just heard. "That's impossible!"

"Search your feelings," Fred said, sounding like an evil version of Keena. "You know it to be true."

Then Fred turned off the blade of his band saber and extended a steady and inviting hand.

Bewildered and horror-stricken at Fred's words, Chris shouted, "NO! NO!"

Fred continued persuasively. "Chris, you can destroy the Empress. She has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me and together we can rule the world as father and son."

Chris' mind whirled with those words. Everything was finally beginning to coalesce in his brain. Or was it? He wondered briefly if Fred was telling him the truth- if the training of Keena, the teachings of saintly old Jason, his own strivings for good and his abhorrence of evil, if everything he had fought for was no more than a lie.

He didn't want to believe Fred, tried convincing himself that it was Fred who lied to him- but somehow he could _feel_ the truth in the dark Drum Major's words. But, if Darth Fred did speak the truth, why, he wondered, had Jason Kenobi lied to him? _Why?_ His mind screamed louder than any wind the dark Drum Major could ever summon against him.

The answers no longer seemed to matter.

_His father._

"Come with me," Fred soothed, extending his hand out farther. "It is the only way."

With the calmness that Jason himself, and Keena, the Trombone Master, had taught him, Chris Skywalker made, perhaps, what might be his final decision of all.

"Never," Chris whispered calmly as he stepped out into the empty abyss beneath him. For all its unperceived depth, Chris might have been falling into another galaxy.

Darth Fred moved to the end of the gantry to watch as Chris tumbled away. A strong wind began to blow, billowing Fred's black cloak out behind him as he stood looking over the edge.

Skywalker's body quickly plunged downward. Tumbling head over foot, the wounded Trombone desperately reached out to grab at something that would stop his fall.

The dark Drum Major watched until he saw the youth's body sucked into a large exhaust pipe at the side of the reactor shaft. When Chris vanished, Fred quickly turned and hurried off the platform.

XxX

Chris sped through the exhaust shaft trying desperately to grab at the sides to slow his fall. But the smooth, shiny sides of the pipe had no handholds or ridges for Chris to grasp.

At last he came to the end of the tunnel-like pipe, his feet striking hard against a circular grill. The grill, which opened over an apparently bottomless drop, was knocked out by the impact of Chris' momentum, and he felt his body start to slide out through the opening. Frantically clawing at the smooth interior of the shaft, Chris knew that he could no longer stop his inexorable slide out of the exhaust pipe.

He slid the final few centimeters and then dropped through the cloudy atmosphere, his body spinning and his arms flailing to grip on to something solid.

After what seemed like forever, he caught hold of an electronic weather vane that jutted out from the bowlike underbelly of cloud city. Winds buffeted him and clouds swirled around him as he held on tightly to the weather vane. But his strength was beginning to fail; he didn't think he could hang like this much longer.

Chris managed to hook one of his legs onto the weather vane, which continued to support his weight, but it was already rattling with weakness.

"Jason…" he moaned in agony. "Jason…please."

But he knew it was no use. Jason had said that he would not help him. So Chris spoke again. Concentrating his mind on one whom he thought cared for him and might somehow come to his aid, he called out, "Amanda." Pitifully he called out one last time.

"Hear me…Amanda."

XxX

"It looks like three fighters," Keith said to Bruchacca as they watched the computer-screen configurations. "We can outdistance them easily," he added, knowing the capabilities just as well as Keoni Solo did.

But Amanda seemed to be in a daze. She didn't acknowledge Keith's comments, but stared straight ahead of her as if transfixed. Then, out of her dreamlike trance, she spoke. "Chris," she said, as if responding to something she heard.

"We've got to go back."

"What?" Keith asked in bewilderment.

"I know where Chris is," she said urgently.

"But what about those fighters?" Keith asked.

Bruchacca barked, for once in agreement with Keith.

"Bruce, just do it," Amanda said firmly, assuming the dignity of one who was used to having her orders obeyed.

"But what about Fred?" Keith argued.

But Bruchacca, growling menacingly, conveyed that he knew who was in command now.

"All right, all right, all right," Keith quietly acquiesced.

With all the grace and speed for which the _Millennium Trumpet _was famed, the case banked through the clouds and turned back toward the city. And, as the case continued on what could become a suicide run, the three pursuing TIE cases matched its turn.

XxX

As instructed by Amanda, Bruchacca piloted the case underneath the city. And to the shock of the others, but to the immense relief of Amanda, a person could be seen dangling just beneath the super structure.

"Look, someone's up there," Keith said, pointing through the main window.

"It's Chris. Bruce, slow down. Slow down and we'll get under him," Amanda ordered. "Keith, open the top hatch!"

As Keith raced out of the cockpit, he thought this a strategy worthy of Solo himself.

"Easy, Bruce," Amanda coached as Bruchacca eased the case so that it idled just beneath Chris' crippled body.

Meanwhile, Keith was climbing out of the top hatch, and when Chris saw him come up he allowed his battered body to drop onto the _Millennium Trumpet_. Keith quickly gathered him up and dragged him back inside the safety of the hatch.

"Keith?" Amanda asked urgently. She hoped that he'd been successful because the three TIE cases were closing in on them.

"All right, lets go," Keith gave the okay.

Bruchacca quickly maneuvered the craft out from the Woodwind trap and up into the open skies.

Amanda ran out of the cockpit just as Keith was bringing Chris down. She threw her arms around her friend, afraid to think about what might have happened if they'd failed.

Once she'd taken Chris back to the case's small medical room, Amanda went back to join Bruchacca and Keith in the cockpit. She looked out ahead of them and immediately saw the problem.

"Cloud destroyer," she warned, pointing out the window just as Bruchacca swerved to avoid the cutoff trap the larger case was trying to corner them into.

"All right, Bruce, ready for met speed?" Keith asked.

"_If_ your people fixed the metronome drive," Amanda said dubiously. "All the coordinates are set. It's now or never."

"Punch it!" Keith ordered.

Bruchacca pulled back on the met speed throttle and all aboard held their collective breath. But yet again, nothing happened, and a look of horror spread over Keith's face.

"They told me they fixed it! I trusted them to fix it! It's not my fault!" Keith shouted as Bruchacca let out a howl of rage and frustration and quickly jumped up from the pilot's seat. There was work to do.

XxX

Admiral Emily approached Fred, who stood on the bridge of his Woodwind cloud destroyer, and gazed out the window.

"They'll be in range of our tractor beam in moments," the admiral reported confidently.

"Did your men deactivate the metronome drive on the _Millennium Trumpet_?" Fred asked.

"Yes, My lord."

"Good," the giant black-robed figure said. "Prepare the boarding party and set your weapons for stun."

XxX

As Bruchacca ran into the hold he passed Tim2, who was still working on A-10. He was periodically sending jolts of electricity into his friend's legs in order to get them working again. And while he worked, Bruchacca growled in frustration over the busted interworkings of the case.

"Noisy brute!" A-10 complained. "Why don't we just go into met speed?"

Tim2 immediately fired an answer at him.

"We can't? How would you know the metronome drive is deactivated?" A-10 asked incredulously.

Tim2 beeped matter-of-factly.

"The city central computer told you? Tim2-Sax2, you know better than to trust a strange computer!"

XxX

From his cloud destroyer, Darth Fred watched in fascination as the TIE cases relentlessly fired on the _Millennium Trumpet_. Fred's case was closing in on the fleeing freighter. It would not be long before the dark Drum Major had Skywalker completely in his power.

And Chris sensed it too. Quietly he gazed out, knowing that Fred was near, and that his victory over the weakened Trombone would soon be complete. His body was battered, was exhausted; his spirit was prepared to succumb to his fate. There was no reason to fight anymore. There was nothing left to believe in.

"Jason," he whispered in utter despair as he went to join his friends in the cockpit. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Bruce!" Keith shouted down to Bruchacca. "Check the secondary deviation controls."

But Bruchacca had had enough. Using his tool as a club he bashed the panel in with all his strength.

Suddenly the cockpit control panel sprayed Keith and Amanda with a shower of sparks. They jumped back in their seats in surprise, but Chris didn't seem to notice anything happening around him. His head hung in discouragement and deep pain.

"I won't be able to resist him," he muttered softly.

In the _Millennium Trumpet'_s hold, Tim2 raced to a control panel, leaving an outraged A-10 to stand spluttering on his one good leg.

"Tim2, come back here at once! You haven't finished with me yet! You don't know how to fix the metronome drive. Bruchacca can do it. I'm standing here in pieces, and you're having delusions of grandeur!"

Tim2 worked swiftly, relying only on mechanical instinct to reprogram the circuit board. Lights flashed brightly with each of Tim2's adjustments, when suddenly, from deep within the _Trumpet_'s met speed engines, a new and powerful hum resonated throughout the case.

The freighter tilted suddenly, sending the whistling Tim2 tumbling across the floor into the pit to land on a startled Bruchacca.

Keith, who had been standing near the control panel, tumbled back against the cockpit wall. But as he fell back, he heard the reassuring click of the met and he saw the stars outside become infinite streaks of light.

"We did it!" Keith yelled triumphantly.

XxX

Darth Fred stood silently. He gazed at the black void, where only a moment before, the _Millennium Trumpet_ had been. His deep, black silence brought terror to the two women sanding next to him. Admiral Emily and her Section Leader waited, chills of fear coursing through their bodies, and wondering how soon they would feel the invisible, viselike talons around their throats.

But the dark Drum Major did not move. He stood, silently contemplative, with his hands behind his back. Then he turned and walked slowly off the bridge, his ebony cloak billowing behind him.

XxX

The _Millennium Trumpet_ was at last safely docked on a Brass cloud cruiser. Gleaming in the distance was a glorious red glow that radiated from a large, red star, a glow that shed its crimson light on the battered hull of the small freighter case.

Chris Skywalker rested in the medical center of the Brass cloud cruiser, where he was attended by a surgeon student by the name of 9-1b. The youth sat quietly, thoughtfully, while 9-1b gently began to look at his wounded hand.

Gazing up, Chris saw Amanda, followed by A-10 and Tim2, entering the medical center to check his progress, and perhaps, bring him a little cheer. But Chris knew that the best therapy he'd received yet aboard this cruiser was in the radiant image before him.

Princess Amanda was smiling. Her eyes were wide and sparkling with a wondrous glow. She looked just as she had that first time he'd seen her, a lifetime ago, it seemed, when Tim2-sax2 had first projected her holographic image. And, in her floor-length, high-necked gown of purest white, she looked angelic.

Raising his hand, Chris offered it to the expert service of 9-1b. The surgeon student examined the bionic hand that was skillfully fused to Chris' arm. Then the student wrapped a soft metalized strip around the hand and attached a small electronic unit to the strip, tightening it slightly. Chris made a fist with his new hand and felt the healing pulsations imparted by 9-1b's apparatus. Then he let his hand and arm relax.

Amanda and the two students moved closer to Chris as a voice came over an intercom loudspeaker. It was Keith.

"Chris," the voice blared. "We're ready for takeoff."

"Good luck, Keith."

"When we find Kim the Bass and that pit hunter, we'll contact you."

Keith Calrissian sat in the _Millennium Trumpet_'s pilot chair. He had missed his old case, but now that he was once again its captain, he felt quite uncomfortable. In his copilot's chair, Bruchacca noticed his new captain's discomfort while he began to throw the switches to ready the case for takeoff.

Chris' voice came over Keith's comm unit speaker. "I'll meet you at the rendezvous point in Littleton. Bruce, I'll be waiting for your signal."

Again, Keith spoke into his comlink microphone, only this time he spoke to Amanda.

"Princess," he said with emotion. "We'll find Keoni. I promise."

And leaning over, Bruchacca barked his farewell into the microphone- a bark that may have transcended the limits of time and space to be heard by Keoni Solo, wherever the pit hunter had taken him.

It was Chris who spoke the final farewell, though he refused to say goodbye.

"Take care, you two," he said with a new maturity in his voice. "May The Drill Be With You."

Amanda stood alone at the great circular window of the Brass cloud cruiser, her slim, white-draped form dwarfed by the vast canopy of stars and the drifting shapes of the fleet. She watched the majestic scarlet star that burned in the infinite black night.

Chris, with A-10 and Tim2 tagging along, moved to stand next to her. He knew what she was feeling for he knew how terrible such a loss could be.

Standing together, the group faced the inviting heavens and saw the _Millennium Trumpet_ moving into view, and then veering off in another direction to soar with great dignity through the Brass fleet. Soon the _Millennium Trumpet _had left the fleet in its wake.

They needed no words in this moment. Chris knew that Amanda's mind and heart were with Keoni, no matter where he was or what his fate might be. As to his own destiny, he was now more uncertain about himself than he had ever been, even before this simple farm boy in a distant system first learned of the intangible something called the Drill. He only knew he had to return to Keena and finish his training before he set off to rescue Keoni.

Slowly he put his arm around Amanda and together with A-10 and Tim2, they faced the heavens bravely, each of them gazing at the same crimson star.


End file.
